


The Other Castellan

by sprintingfox



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Angst, F/M, Other, Romance, Sprinting Fox, SprintingFox
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:42:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 87
Words: 352,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23234911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sprintingfox/pseuds/sprintingfox
Summary: When Luke Castellan decided to leave Camp Half Blood and join forces with Kronos, he left behind a sister who spent the next three years trying to bring her brother back. It wasn’t until the battle at Mount Tam that she realized that he was too far gone, and her only option was to help destroy the man that crafted her into the greatest swordswoman in history.
Relationships: Ethan Nakamura/Original Character(s), Lydia Castellan/Ethan Nakamura, Lydia Castellan/Lityerses
Comments: 33
Kudos: 33





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> …. with Natalia Dyer as Lydia Castellan
> 
> I apologize for any typos! I didn't edit it before uploading everything to all the platforms I have it on so please try and read through them, thanks!
> 
> All credit for original characters and original plot goes to Rick Riordan. I own only my OCs and select scenes not from the original series. Thank you Rick, for writing the series. Thank you all, for reading.

**Percy Jackson's POV**

_Summer 2005_

Chiron led me to where the cabins were, and after a short while (filled with a lot of explaining) I saw the blond girl from the Big House reading a book in front of the last cabin on the left— number eleven.

When we reached her, she looked me over critically, like she was still thinking about all the drool I'd released.

I cocked my head to the side to try and figure out what she was reading, but I couldn't make out the title. At first, I thought my dyslexia was acting up. Then I realized the title wasn't even in English— it was Greek. Literally Greek. Inside were pictures of temples and statues and different kinds of columns, like those in an architecture book.

"Annabeth," Chiron said warmly, "I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take Percy from here?"

"Yes sir," she said, nodding her head.

"Cabin eleven," Chiron said, motioning to the doorway. "Make yourself at home."

I observed the cabin. It looked the most like a regular old summer camp cabin— emphasis on the old. The threshold was worn down, and the brown paint on it was peeling. Over the doorway was one of those doctor's symbols, a winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it. I think they call it a caduceus.

Annabeth opened the door, and there was a piercing scream.

I jumped back as a girl about Annabeth and I's age sprinted out, tumbling onto the floor with a sword in her hands.

Her hair was light brown and a long, with some strange sandy blonde locks mixed in between. Her eyes were blue and she had lightly tanned skin. She wore a baggy orange Camp Half Blood t-shirt and black leggings, with strange bright red tennis shoes.

She laughed and stood up quickly from her position on the ground, holding up her sword up in front of her face just in time to shield herself from a much taller curly haired boy who was holding another sword as he came running out and slashed his sword through the air. I was scared for a minute, because if she hadn't reacted so quickly he'd have cut her face in half.

"Lydia!" Chiron said sharply. "Chris— put the swords down!"

As soon as Chris put his sword down, the girl called Lydia slashed in the air and kicked her leg so his sword flew out of his hand when he dodged her strike. She caught it with ease and pointed both swords at him, smirking and breathing heavily.

"Okay fine, you win, damn it," Chris hissed, snatching his sword from Lydia's hands and stalking back into the cabin.

Annabeth smiled at Lydia. I guessed they must be best friends, judging by the way Lydia went up to Annabeth and high fived her enthusiastically.

"Lydia," Chiron sighed, rubbing his forehead, "you can't keep scamming your siblings out of money like this— it's unfair."

"It's not a scam," Lydia said, tossing her hair up into a ponytail. "It's an investment in my future."

"You can't pay for college with drachmas," Annabeth said, although she grinned.

"Lydia it's not funny to them," Chiron said, although he was smiling a bit. "You have an advantage because you're small and I think you're making enemies rather than friends. There is a time and place for swordfighting."

"I don't need friends," Lydia said simply. "And besides— what good am I if I don't practice?" That's when she noticed me. "Oh— hi!"

"I trust you girls can show him around," Chiron said before leaving.

"Hi," I said to Lydia. "I'm Percy."

"Oh yeah, drooling boy," she said happily, shaking my hand more firmly than a twelve year old girl should have been able to. "Annabeth told me."

"Lydia," Annabeth hissed.

"What, he has a right to know how I found out he was here," Lydia said, still panting. "I'm Lydia."

"So I heard," I said.

"Oh come on you two," Annabeth said a bit irritably, waving for me to follow them inside.

Lydia skipped into the cabin immediately, and the instant I stepped in, I tripped, which made most of the kids let out snickers.

"Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven," Annabeth announced.

"Regular or undetermined?" Someone asked.

"Undetermined," Annabeth replied.

Everybody groaned.

One guy, who was definitely older than the rest, stepped forward. "Now now campers, that's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy. Now— you can have that spot on the floor, right over there."

"Oh! That's next to my bunk," Lydia said, coming over from where she'd been sitting near the back of the cabin.

The guy rolled his eyes. "If you want to be moved, Percy, just say the words— she's a crazy sleeper."

"Not so much anymore," Lydia said, looking mildly offended.

"Oh please, you've been wiggling like a worm in your bed since you were born," the guy said.

He looked like he was about nineteen, and pretty cool. He was tall and muscular, his hair the same color as the random streaks in Lydia's hair. He was wearing an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with five different colored clay beads. He had a thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, like an old knife slash. I noticed that his eyes and Lydia's eyes were almost identical.

"This is Luke," Annabeth said, in a manner that indicated she cared as much about him as she did for Lydia. I could have sworn she was blushing. "He's your counselor for now."

"For now?" I asked.

"You're undetermined," Luke said patiently. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all the newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers."

I looked at the small section of the floor that'd been given to me. I had nothing to put there to mark it as my own, no luggage, no clothes, no sleeping bag. Just the Minotaur's horn. I considered setting it down but then I remembered Hermes was also the god of thieves.

"How long will I be here?" I asked Luke.

"Good question— until you're determined," he said.

"How long will that take?" I asked.

The campers burst out laughing.

"Who knows?" Lydia asked, smiling. "Come on, Annabeth and I will keep showing you around."

She tugged my arm and led me out, Annabeth following closely behind.

"So," I said, looking fixedly at Lydia. "You and Luke are...?"

"He's my older brother," she said happily. "Practically raised me."

I was confused for a minute. "Did you have a mom or a dad?"

Annabeth looked angry that I'd asked her that, but Lydia didn't react.

"Our dad is Hermes," she chirped. "The gods don't raise their kids. And my mom, well... she wasn't too fit for raising a baby."

"Why not?" I blurted out.

"Let's take you to the volleyball courts," Annabeth interrupted.

Lydia waved her hand in the air. "She had a bit of a problem," she said. "I'll explain it more in detail once you learn more about the camp, it'll be easier that way. She was sick, in a sense."

"Sick?" I inquired. Annabeth looked like she wanted to punch me.

"Well I mean, she would randomly start speaking weird and her eyes would glow green," Lydia said, furrowing her eyebrows. "Sick, I'd call it, in a way. I don't really remember her, we left when I was six."

"Six?" I spluttered.

"Lydia and I have been here the since we were seven," Annabeth cut in, sounding irritated. "We were raised here."

"Why—?"

"Come on Jackson, you have to do better than this," Annabeth hissed.

"What?" I cried. Even Lydia looked confused.

"I can't believe I thought you were the one," she said under her breath.

"Oh don't be dramatic," Lydia sighed.

"What's your problem?" I snapped at Annabeth. "All I know is I kill some bull guy—"

"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth said. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?"

"To get killed?" I thundered.

"To fight the Minotaur, she means," Lydia said, patting Annabeth's shoulder. "It's a little annoying, this is what we train for and we don't really get the chance."

I shook my head. "Look, if the thing I fought really was the Minotaur, the same one in the stories..."

"It is the same one," Lydia said.

"Then there's only one."

"Yes," Annabeth exasperated.

"And he died, like, a gajillion years ago, right?" I asked. "Theseus killed him in the labyrinth. So—"

"Monsters don't die, Percy," Annabeth said. "They can be killed, but they don't die."

"Okay, thanks," I said, rolling my eyes. "That clears it up."

"It'll make more sense when you learn more," Lydia said, cutting Annabeth off right as she opened her mouth. "You see, they don't have souls like we do. You can dispel them for awhile, maybe even a whole lifetime if you're lucky. But they're primal forces— Chiron calls them arche-types. Eventually they reform."

My mind jumped to Mrs Dodds. "You mean, if I killed one, accidentally, with a sword—"

"The Fur— I mean, your math teacher," Annabeth said, nodding. "That's right. She's still out there. You just made her very, very mad."

"How did you know about Mrs Dodds?" I asked.

"You talk in your sleep," Annabeth said simply.

"You almost called her something. A fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?"

"Don't say their name," Lydia said as Annabeth looked nervously at the ground. "We call them the Kindly Ones."

"Okay," I sighed. "Why do I have to stay in cabin eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together? There are plenty of empty bunks right over there."

"It depends on your parent," Lydia explained. "See, Luke, Chris, and some of the others in the Hermes cabin— we live there and get bunks because we're all siblings— well, half siblings. All children of Hermes. Luke and I share a mother but the others have a different mom. You— your mother is mortal right? Which means your godly parent is your dad."

"How can you say—"

"Because you wouldn't be one of us if it wasn't true," Lydia said. "Sorry about your mom, by the way."

She makes me think of my mom, and I get sad.

"But you guys don't know anything about me," I counter. "How—"

"No?" Annabeth inquired. "I bet you moved from school to school. I bet you were kicked out of a lot of them."

"Probably diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD," Lydia continued. "Those are all common things with demigods, Percy. When we read the letters float around because we're hardwired for Ancient Greek. The ADHD— we're impulsive, can't sit still. It's because we have battle reflexes. In a real fight, it'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, it's because you see too much, Percy, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Of course the teachers want you medicated— most are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they are."

"Did you go through the same thing?" I asked her.

"Most of us did," Annabeth sighed. "If you weren't like us, you wouldn't have survived the Minotaur, much less the ambrosia and the nectar."

"Ambrosia and nectar?"

"The food and drink we were giving you to help you feel better," Annabeth said. "That stuff would've killed a normal kid. It would've turned your blood to fire and your bones to sand and you'd be dead. Face it. You're a half blood."

I have so many questions for them, I don't know where to start.

"Well, a newbie!"

"Oh no," Lydia groaned. I turned and saw a big girl from the ugly red cabin sauntering toward us. She had three other girls behind her, all big and ugly and mean looking like her, and all wearing camo jackets.

"Hi Clarisse," Lydia said. Clarisse nodded to her.

"Clarisse," Annabeth sighed. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"

"Sure, Miss Princess, so I can run you through with it Friday night," Clarisse said.

"Erre es korakas," Annabeth hissed. Somehow I understood it was Greek for 'Go to the crows!'

"Face it, Clarisse, you don't stand a chance," Lydia said, smirking. "If Luke doesn't beat you, I will."

Clarisse didn't seem eager to counter Lydia for some odd reason, like she respected her a great deal more than she respected Annabeth. "We'll pulverize you both." Then she turned to me. "Who's this little runt?"

"Percy Jackson," Annabeth said, "meet Clarisse, daughter of Ares."

"Like the war god?" I asked.

"Got a problem with that?" Clarisse sneered.

"No," I said. "It explains the bad smell."

Lydia covered her mouth to hide her smirk.

"We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy," Clarisse growled.

"Percy."

"Whatever. Come on, I'll show you."

"Clarisse—" Annabeth started.

"Stay out of it, Wise Girl," Clarisse snapped.

Lydia, although significantly shorter than Clarisse, stepped in her way. "Go. Now."

"Your status as camp princess doesn't let you boss me around every single time, okay?" Clarisse said, although I could tell she considered listening to Lydia. "You can fight me for it on Friday."

"Done," Lydia said, although she winked at me. "But if you hurt him, I'll cut your spear in half and sell it, and use the money I make to buy a crane and hang you from the top of the pine on Half Blood Hill."

Clarisse scoffed, but faltered. Then she grabbed me by my neck and started dragging me to the bathroom.

I tried to fight her off but nothing amounted from it. I could see Annabeth didn't try and mess with Clarisse, but oddly, Lydia was smirking, like she knew something Clarisse didn't.

"Like he's Big Three material," Clarisse laughed as she pushed me toward one of the toilets. "Yeah right, Minotaur probably fell over laughing, he was so stupid looking."

"You'd be surprised," Lydia sang, making me realize she'd jogged to catch up to Clarisse.

"You make a hobby of annoying people, don't you?" Clarisse muttered to Lydia as she bent me over on my knees and pushed my head toward the toilet bowl.

It smelled like rusted pipes and well— what goes into toilets. I tried to keep my head up. I was looking at the scummy water, thinking, I will not go into that, I won't.

Then I felt a sudden tug in the pit of my stomach. I heard the plumbing rumble, the pipes shudder. Clarisse's grip on my hair loosened. Water shot out of the toilet, making an arc straight over my head, and the next thing I knew, I was sprawled on the bathroom tiles with Clarisse screaming behind me.

I looked up and saw Lydia was drenched as well, but she was laughing, and nodding her head.

Then water blasted out of the toilet again, hitting Clarisse straight in the face so hard that it pushed her down onto her butt. The water stayed on her like the spray from a fire hose, pushing her backward into a shower stall.

She struggled, and her friends rushed to help her. But then the other toilets exploded, and then the showers, causing all four of the Ares girls to be thrown out of the bathroom.

As soon as they were out the door, my gut loosened and the water shut off.

Lydia burst out laughing, and clapped as she looked at Annabeth, nodding.

"How did you—?" Annabeth cried. She too was drenched. When I looked down at myself I saw I was completely dry.

"I don't know," I mumbled.

"I do," Lydia said. But before I could ask her what it was, she sprinted out, whooping loudly and punching her fist in the air like she'd won the lottery.

_______

Once I got dry, I went back into cabin eleven.

Inside, everyone was talking and horsing around while they waited for dinner. For the first time I noticed Luke and Lydia bore many similarities to the others— sharp noses, upturned eyebrows, mischievous smiles. They were all the kind of kids that teachers would peg as troublemakers. Thankfully, only Lydia really noticed when I walked over to my spot on the floor and sat down with my Minotaur horn.

She pulled out a sleeping bag and handed it to me. "For you. Also— I stole you some toiletries from the camp store."

I couldn't tell if she was kidding.

"Thanks," I said.

"Do you like it here so far?" She asked eagerly.

"Yeah," I said. "Listen— you do know why I did that stuff, don't you?"

"I'm pretty sure I do," she said, laying back and bouncing a tennis ball against the top of her bunk. "But Chiron says I can't tell you yet. You'll find out soon. It's sad, because we won't get to be cabin buddies when you find out."

I winced. She seemed nice enough.

"Have you ever met your dad?" I asked curiously.

"Once," Lydia said, nodding. "It was weird— he didn't even know I was his kid until he saw me next to Luke. He knew Luke better."

"Well probably because he was older," I offered.

"Yeah, you might be right," she said thoughtfully. "I don't think he ever saw me as a baby. Luke was seven when I was born— and he doesn't ever remember seeing my dad around. So I suppose he never really knew what I looked like to begin with."

"Why did you guys leave?" I asked quietly, wondering if I'd gone too far.

"My mom became really scary— for me, as a six year old," Lydia said, shivering, and for a moment I saw fear in her eyes. "When her eyes would glow she'd grab my shoulders and shake me and start screaming in my face, and I never understood why. Luke had had enough. So we left. Met Annabeth along the way. Came here. Been here ever since."

"Why did Clarisse call you the camp princess?" I asked.

Lydia shrugged. "Well—"

"Eleven! Fall in!" Luke called from the door. Lydia shrugged again.

"You'll probably see tomorrow," she said. "When we swordfight."

_______

She wasn't kidding when she said I'd see tomorrow.

I don't know, but if you were me, you'd see that Lydia is pretty gifted with this swordfighting stuff.

When we had sword fighting the next day, she was practicing with Luke early in the morning.

I'd watched silently from the stands while I waited for the rest of the cabin to show up.

At the age of 12, she was keeping up with him, who was 19. They fought so fast it was a wonder either of them could keep up with what they were doing.

"So that's why they call her the camp princess," I said aloud.

"Yeah," one Hermes kid said, scooting closer to me. "Luke and Lydia are the two best swordspeople in the last three hundred years. Luke taught her everything she knows. She's almost as good as him."

He leaned closer and whispered in my ear. "A few of us think she's better than him, but we'd never admit that. No one would dare let him find out we think Little Castellan is better."

"Little Castellan?" I asked.

"That's how we tell them apart, most times," he said, shrugging. "Luke is Big Castellan and Lydia is Little Castellan. Luke calls her Baby Castellan as a joke though. He's the only one who can call her that."

"I see," I said quietly.

Below, Lydia sidestepped and ducked under Luke, rolling on the ground and standing up incredibly fast, knocking his sword out of his hand.

Luke laughed and picked his sister up, throwing her over his shoulder.

"Luke!" She laughed, slapping his back. "Put me down!"

"Not until you cry uncle!" He said, shaking her so she dangled dangerously over his back.

It was interesting to watch them. As someone who was raised as an only child, I wondered what it must be like to have a sibling. Luke and Lydia seemed to get along really well.

Lydia screamed as Luke dropped her, and for a moment I was afraid she might cry from how hard she hit her head. But I seem to have misjudged her, because she stood up right away and leapt onto his back, ruffling his hair so hard it made him laugh, and try and swat her off.

The Hermes kid next to me laughed. "I don't think there's anyone in the world that Luke loves more than Lydia. He would never hurt that girl— never."

"I can tell," I said, smiling.

Awhile after, Luke had us all split into pairs, announcing he'd be my partner since it was my first time.

It was hard to keep up with him and his moves, and I was astounded that Lydia could when she was so tiny and definitely skinnier than me. The sword I had didn't fit right in my hand and I felt awkward in the armor I was wearing.

"Okay everyone, circle up!" Luke ordered. "Lydia, come up here."

Lydia skipped forward.

Luke then began to explain a disarming technique— how to twist the enemy's blade with the flat of your own sword so that he had no choice but to drop his weapon.

"This is difficult," Luke said. "I've had it used against me. Most swordsmen have to work years to master this technique. Even Lydia here can't do it yet, so don't be discouraged."

Luke smirked and nodded to his sister. Lydia held her sword up. Luke demonstrated the move in slow motion. Sure enough, the sword clattered out of Lydia's hand.

"Now if Percy doesn't mind, I'd like to use him to demonstrate how this would look in real time," he said.

I was slightly stunned.

"I couldn't use it on Lydia in real time, she goes a bit too fast," Luke said with a chuckle. "Come on— like before. We keep sparring until one of us pulls it off. Ready, Percy?"

Lydia stepped back as I nodded. Luke came right after me. Somehow, I kept him from getting a shot at the hilt of my sword. My senses opened up. I saw his attacks coming. I countered. I stepped forward and tried a thrust of my own. Luke deflected it easily, but I saw a change in his face. His eyes narrowed, and he started to press me with more force.

Beside us, Lydia was watching, her eyes narrowed, a smirk on her face.

The sword grew heavy in my hand. The balance wasn't right. I knew it was only a matter of seconds before Luke took me down, so I figured, what the heck?

I tried the disarming maneuver.

Lydia's mouth promptly dropped open when Luke's sword clattered out of his hand and onto the ground.

The campers were dead silent.

"Um— sorry," I said quickly, lowering my sword away from his chest.

For a moment, Luke was too stunned to speak.

"Don't you dare apologize for that," Lydia said, causing Luke to grin and nod.

"Show me that again, Percy," Luke prompted.

I didn't want to. The short burst of manic energy had abandoned me, but Luke insisted.

This time there was no contest. The moment our swords connected, Luke hit my hilt and sent my weapon skidding across the floor.

"Beginner's luck," Lydia deduced, picking up my sword and handing it to me. "Good job, Percy."

"Thanks," I said sheepishly.

"Yes, good job," Luke said, smiling. "But I wonder what Percy could do with a balanced sword."

Lydia nodded quickly and pulled her brother aside, a grin on her face as she talked to him quickly.  
  


If I had known that would be one of the last times I'd see them together, so happy, I'd have told them to appreciate the moment more.


	2. I Don't Get To Blow Up a Band Room

**Lydia Castellan's POV**

_Summer 2008_

"You say anything to anyone, I will pulverize you, Lydia."

I smirked at Annabeth and leaned back against the alley wall. "Come on, you act like I'm gonna go tell Tyson to announce it to the Camp. Your secret is safe with me."

She turned red, and I shook my head.

"It's not a bad thing," I said, raising my eyebrow. "Why do you seem so distressed?"

"I feel— vulnerable," Annabeth said, biting her lip. "Having feelings for Percy— I don't know. It's— well—"

"He's our best friend," I said. "He's one of the greatest guys you will ever find. And we BOTH know he's been crazy for you since we met. Grover and I have been third-wheeling you guys forever! You guys are... something else."

"Something else?" Annabeth said, narrowing her eyes.

"Meant to be," I said.

"That was so cliché, even for you, Lydia."

I laughed. "Come on Annabeth, it's FINE to have feelings for people— gods, you're so dramatic."

"Okay, but this is the first time I've told anyone!" Annabeth said. "Saying it out loud.... It— well it's finally a reality, I suppose. And what if—"

"Don't you dare say 'what if he doesn't like me,' Annabeth Chase, because I will throw you off the rock wall," I said, face palming myself. "He held up the freaking sky for you. Last year— he went CRAZY when we lost you— his only goal was getting you back, he didn't care about Artemis."

Annabeth blushed and cleared her throat. "So um— Artemis... has she contacted you again?"

I shook my head. "I think she gave up— and I think Thalia did too, for that matter. She's been asking me to join the Hunters for years now. This is about the fifth time I've said no. I don't know why they keep asking."

Annabeth chuckled lightly. "Come on— I think they can see what we all do. You don't want to be at Camp Half Blood anymore. And... there's nothing wrong with that."

"There is, because this prophecy is going to come true in less than a year, and it's all on Percy," I said. "And I'm not going to abandon my best friend when he needs me."

Annabeth winced. "So whatever happens... you're going to stick through til the prophecy is complete then... leave?"

"I might," I admitted. "Thalia reckons it'd be a good plan. I mean... maybe in the process we'll defeat Luke."

Annabeth's lip trembled. "But what if there's still hope, Lydia? What if we can change him?"

I felt bad. Me, Luke's own sister, knew it was a lost cause, but Annabeth still had hope.

"Maybe," I lied. "There is... a small chance."

Annabeth smiled a bit. Before she could say anything, Percy burst out and appeared right in front of us.

Annabeth's blush faded. Damn her for being so good at this. "Hey, you're out early! Watch where you're going, Seaweed Brain."

This was my cue to leave and visit Percy's mom for a bit, to allow Annabeth and Percy to ho watch a movie alone.

I knew they both suspected I was letting them go on an unofficial date, but the fact that neither of them complained was enough to tell me they didn't mind. Which was good, because we were 15 now, and if these fools didn't get together soon I was going to throw a tantrum. Percabeth for life. Seriously.

Then right behind Percy, a girl with fiery red curly hair came out, causing me to raise my eyebrows. "Percy! Wait up!"

Annabeth's pleasant smile faded, and she looked at me out of the corner of her eye.

Then I looked up and I gasped, and pointed at the school behind them for Annabeth to see.

Black smoke was bursting out, and the fire alarms were ringing.

"What the hell happened?" I asked, smacking the back of Percy's head as I gave him a side hug.

"And who's... this?" Annabeth asked sharply.

"Oh—" Percy panted. "Rachel— Annabeth. Annabeth— Rachel. Um— she's a friend, I guess."

"Isn't she the one we met last year at the Hoover Dam?" I asked, seeing the girl looked familiar.

"Yep," Rachel said, her hair smoking. "You cut that monster's head off so fast he didn't even have time to react. And then you told me I looked like I lived in the subway."

"Well with what you were wearing, it seemed like it," I muttered indifferently, shaking her hand.

Rachel turned to Percy. "You are in so much trouble. And you still owe me an explanation."

"Percy," Annabeth said coldly. "We should go."

"I want to know more about half bloods!" Rachel insisted. "And monsters— and this stuff about gods." She grabbed Percy's arm and whipped out a permanent marker, writing a phone number on his hand. "You're going to call me and explain, okay? You owe me that. Now get going."

"I'll call you," I said immediately, thrusting my arm out to her. Rachel didn't hesitate to write it on me.

"I'll make up some story and say it wasn't your fault," she said to Percy before turning and running back to the school.

Annabeth and I both turned to him. Annabeth's jaw went tight and she started storming down the street.

"Oh come on, Annabeth!" Percy groaned, as we both jogged after her. "There were these two empousai— they were cheerleaders, see, and they said camp was going to burn, and—"

"You told a mortal girl about half bloods?" Annabeth hissed furiously. I could tell her response was rooted with jealousy.

"She can see through the Mist," I said, making Annabeth's expression soften. "We met her at the Hoover Dam— she can see the monsters just as well as we can."

Annabeth took a deep breath. "She's kind of cute."

"I—I never thought about that," Percy said, looking to me for help. I smacked my forehead, and mouthed 'no!'

"I-I'll deal with the school," Percy promised as Annabeth strode down York Avenue. "Honest, it'll be fine."

"I guess our afternoon is off," Annabeth said bitterly. "And Lydia won't get to visit your mom. We should get out of here— the police will be searching for you."

Percy looked at me and winced. I shrugged and sighed. I'd need to call his mom and apologize later.

"Yeah," Percy said. "We have to get to Camp Half Blood NOW."

_______

Annabeth was angry the entire taxi ride.

I had to explain for her that she'd had a monster infested spring in San Francisco, and had not managed to find anything about Nico di Angelo.

I explained that I'd spent the entire time at Camp, training with Ethan— and searching for Luke.

"Any word on him?" Percy asked quietly.

"No," I said softly. "I tried to contact him. Chiron let me go out searching. Something tells me I was close to him, but he didn't want me to see him. I snuck into Mount Tam— to check. It's still overrun with monsters. Luke wasn't there."

"What about Grover?" Percy asked.

"He's at Camp," I said. "We'll see him today."

"Did he have any luck with the search for Pan?"

Annabeth sighed. "You'll see."

Percy then used Annabeth's phone for us to call his mom and explain what had happened.

After that there was complete silence. All I could think about was Luke, and where the hell he must be.

When we got to Camp, Annabeth immediately went to talk to Clarisse about our project, instructing me to stay behind with Percy.

"So this project," Percy said. "Does it have something to do with Luke?"

"It has everything to do with Luke," I mumbled, instinctively rubbing my cheek. "But don't worry— we'll tell you later."

"It scarred pretty badly," Percy noted.

As if he needed to remind me.  
  


I slashed my sword and barely managed to block Luke as he attacked with his blade.

I was backing Luke closer and closer to the cliff and he knew it. He kept trying to move our fight away— I could see it behind his pained eyes.

Even with who he was becoming, he didn't want to risk me falling off.

I believed it in that instant, that he really didn't want to hurt me.

But the instant a slash from my sword collided with his chest and caused blood to leak out, the expression on his sweaty face became more serious and I saw that little regard for my safety slowly slipping away.

Luke lunged at me and I slammed back on him with my blade, skillfully making him loose his balance. He nearly dropped his sword.

But he didn't, and instead kicked my shins, right where he could see blood leaking from the cut I'd received when Dr. Thorn found us on the dock talking to smelly Old Man By the Sea Nereus— Ner— something like that.

It was a strategic kick, I'll give him that. The kick caused me to cry out in pain and lose my balance. My sword skidded out of my hands and nearer to where Thalia crouched in pain, her shield on the floor.

Luke stood over me, his sword inches from my neck.

"Well?" He snarled to her. "Made a decision yet?"

"No Luke— I won't," she said fiercely, although I could tell she was hesitant.

He lifted me up, causing me to shriek, and held me over the edge of the cliff.

Thalia's eyes widened in shock.

"Luke no!" She cried.

"NO!"

Annabeth came forward, and stood beside Thalia, her eyes filled with tears.

"Luke no— don't drop her—"

I was breathing heavily, looking down at the cliff, seeing several dracnae were hissing below.

It would be a fifty foot drop. I'd be dead if Luke released me.

"Luke— we can help you!" Annabeth pleaded. "We can take you to Olympus—"

"To Olympus?" He snarled, shaking me dangerously, causing me to yelp and squeeze my eyes shut.

He was actually going to drop me.

"Luke!"

It was Percy's voice.

"Luke put her down— this is between you and me."

"You think everything is about you, Jackson?" Luke hissed, a maniacal glint in his eyes. He looked at me darkly. "What about you, Baby Castellan? Have you reconsidered? You don't have to fall down there... you could join me."

He licked his lips.

"Last year Hermes visited Jackson TWICE and didn't even bother to check on you, did he?" He whispered silkily. "Doesn't that show you how much he cares?"

"I will never join you," I said, seeing the way out clear in my head. "Drop me. You won't."

"LYDIA NO!" Thalia screamed as Percy and Annabeth inched closer.

Just as I felt Luke's grip loosen, I swung myself forward, kicking his abdomen and propelling myself back into a roll, sprawling beside my sword and swiping it up just fast enough to stop Luke from slicing my head off.

"You have gotten much, much better," he said coldly as Percy pulled Annabeth back. Luke and I began to duel again. "Pity you chose the wrong side. I could have made you great. I have a friend who would very much like to meet you. His sword skills are legend, Lydia— he's known as the Reaper of Men!"

I sidestepped and jabbed dangerously close to his chest where the other cut I'd made was.

"I'm not interested in meeting your screwed up friends, Luke," I snarled.

This seemed to deeply annoy him.

"Give up," Luke growled, a different type of madness in his eyes. "This doesn't concern you, anymore, Lydia. I could spare you. This prophecy isn't even about you."

"It has everything— to do— with me—" I strained as I blocked another strike and ducked under, attempting to tip his balance. I succeeded, but paid the price.

Luke snarled, and faked a slash that I didn't recover quickly enough from. I was unable to block him as his sword cut across my cheek, causing me to scream and stagger backward as blood poured out.

My vision went blurry and I croaked, feeling my hand grow damp.

In the two years we'd encountered each other on opposite sides of the battlefield, he had NEVER left me with a physical wound.

Never him. Always someone else, as if he was reluctant to cause me any real harm.

But that had clearly faced.

Luke looked down at me, breathing heavily. For a minute he looked guilty, but it faded the instant Thalia jumped in, and kicked him off the cliff and out of sight.  
  


"Yeah," I mumbled, feeling the jagged scar. It looked like the scar across Luke's eye, except it was thicker and more jagged, and of course, across my entire cheek.

When I'd Iris messaged Tyson the other day to check up on him, he'd said I looked like a hero.

But he's probably just too sweet to admit how ugly it looks.

"Mount Tam was... something else," Percy mumbled. "That.. what he did..."

"I feel horrible for it," I said. "Annabeth still has some crazy hope that we can... save him, or something. But if he... if he allowed himself to hurt me, when he never had before despite the fights we had..."

"He could have hurt you so bad on the Princess Andromeda," Percy muttered. "He had you pinned down and he still didn't hurt you. The fact he let himself leave a physical scar on you...."

"It's a lost cause, and I don't know how to tell her," I said quietly. Percy gulped and nodded slightly.

"Can we go to the arena?" Percy asked. "I'm bored."

"Yeah, we can practice," I said, taking my hoodie off as we walked into the arena.

Percy then suddenly swiped his arm across my chest and pushed me back, taking out Riptide.

"Is that—?" I gasped.

"Yep," he said.

I'd seen some big hellhounds before. Big like the size of a rhino— same as the one that tried to kill Percy when he arrived. But this hellhound was about the size of a large battle tank.

"Don't charge," I mumbled, taking my own sword (I've yet to decide on a name for it— Percy's useless when it comes to naming things). "I got it— it has to have gotten here with permission to be lounging around so peacefully."

Percy nodded and I stepped inside, and right away my sword was blocked by another swordsman— a gray haired man in Greek armor.

"Oh shove off," I said, disarming him with ease, which made him look at me in surprise. "We're not going to kill your precious hellhound, we just wanted to see if there was anyone here with it."

"Good, because she's harmless," he said, picking up his sword. "Her name's Mrs O'Leary."

I looked at Percy like 'seriously?'

"Mrs O'Leary," I repeated. "Really?"

"Yes, really, Lydia Castellan," the man said, going over and scratching the hellhound's back.

"And you know me, how?" I inquired.

I'd never seen this man before. He was in his fifties, it seemed, and he was rather fit for such an older guy. At the base of his neck was a strange purple mark.

"I've heard about your skill," he said. "Some say you're the finest swordswoman since the Reaper of Men himself."

"Ah that bloke again," I said, waving my hand in the air. "Reaper of Men..."

"He was a fine swordsman— is, I suppose, as he has been rumored to be alive," the swordsman said, chuckling slightly at my reaction. "In my professional opinion, he and your brother are very matched in skill. And even so... it's rumored you're better than your brother."

"I don't think so," I muttered.

"Well if it is true, then you could be the greatest swordsman— woman— in the last millenia," he noted. "According to my analysis... you should be able to beat the Reaper of Men in a duel."

"Does he have a name?" I exasperated. "Do YOU have a name?"

"Ah, Quintus," he said, shaking mine and Percy's hands. "I'm the new sword instructor, by the way. I'm helping out Chiron while Mr D is away."

"Mr D is away?" I said. "Bless the gods."

Quintus smiled dryly. "Busy times. Even Dionysus must help out. He's gone to visit some old friends— make sure they're on the right side. I probably shouldn't say more than that."

"Well that's the best news I've heard all day," Percy mumbled in my ear, making me snort.

I slowly walked toward Mrs O'Leary, gasping at every feature of her. It was like a normal, husky sized hellhound had gone through a machine and just BAM! Become twenty times bigger. I would say she was probably the size Clifford the Big Red Dog would have been— if he was real.

Mrs O'Leary stayed calm as I went toward her, rubbing her back.

"Good girl," I cooed. "Very good girl.."

"She's gentle," Quintus said. "Nicest hellhound you'll meet."

I laughed and scratched behind her ears. "You're sweet, aren't you?"

She lifted her head and whined, looking toward a stack of crates across the room.

"Those aren't for you," Quintus said, tossing her the bronze shield Frisbee he had in his hand.

"So what's Triple G Ranch?" Percy asked, craning his neck to read the label on the crate.

My dyslexia must have been getting worse, because I couldn't read it for shit.

"What's in those boxes is little surprise for tomorrow night's training activity," Quintus said. "You'll love it."

I finally made out the letters on the side. OPEN WITH CARE, TRIPLE G RANCH IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR PROPERTY DAMAGE, MAIMING, OR EXCRUCIATINGLY PAINFUL DEATHS.

"Sounds wicked," I said.

"You young ones need more challenges," Quintus said as he threw the shield Frisbee again. "They didn't have camps like this when I was a boy."

"So you're a half blood?" Percy asked in disbelief. I have to admit I was surprised to see an old demigod.

"Some of us do survive into adulthood, you know," he said. "Not all of us are the subject of terrible prophecies."

"Gee, aren't you lucky," I scoffed, making Quintus laugh.

"So you know about my prophecy?" Percy asked.

"I've heard a few things."

Just them, Chiron came inside. "Percy! Lydia! There you are."

"Hey," I said, sheathing my sword. "So I leave for one day and we get a camp mascot and a sword instructor?"

"I was meaning to tell you sooner but I didn't want to ruin the surprise," Chiron said warmly. "Now Quintus— do you mind if I borrow Percy and Lydia?"

"Not at all, Master Chiron," Quintus answered.

Percy and I made faces when Chiron looked somewhat pleased, although he insisted Quintus didn't need to call him 'Master.'

"Well, see you," Quintus said, waving.

"Bye," I said. "And bye, sweet girl."

The fact that Mrs O'Leary wagged her tail warmed my heart.

"I like how you said bye to him like you didn't care but said bye to the dog like it's a family member," Percy snickered, making me smack his shoulder.

Chiron then prompted Percy to talk about what happened at Goode High School, and I listened intently.

You know, High School Musical really did lie about what high school is supposed to be like. I bet Troy and Gabriella hid the fact that sometimes, you'll experience random monster attacks and get kicked out.

"Well, Lydia?" Chiron said when Percy finished. "Opinions?"

"What the empousa said about an attack on camp concerns me," I said, fiddling with my sword. "I think we should have a discussion with all cabin leaders in the near future."

"Right you are," Chiron said. "Now— let's get to the woods. Grover will want you both there."

"Where?" Percy asked.

"At his formal hearing," Chiron said grimly. "The Council of the Cloven Elders is meeting now to decide his fate."

"Crap," I muttered.

It didn't take us long to reach the location. Chiron insisted we needed to hurry, and insisted we ride on his back, but I opted out. Instead I ran beside him, keeping up without a problem, which surprised Percy.

The benefits of being a child of Hermes.

I should probably explain— on that end, I'm definitely the most powerful one born in... awhile.

Luke can do the cool lock thing. And he's a good thief (clearly).

But I've got the whole package of Hermes gifts.

I can do the lock thing. I have incredible stamina and run faster than any normal kid, except for any demigod child of Nike, of course. I am fluent in all languages spoken on Earth, including many animal tongues (still trying to learn chinchilla). I have a natural sense of direction (not as cool as Percy's though). I have, for emergencies, bursts of healing powers that are enough to heal very devastating injuries. I've got a natural ability to understand medicine and medical terms, which has only been improved by my interest in medical textbooks. So far my extensive knowledge has come in handy, and I have used it to enroll myself (illegally, of course) in an online course for Medical School, pretending I'm too ill to attend an in-seat university.

And of course aside from that I'm a master thief as well, although I try not to use it too much.

If and when I survive this whole ordeal, I would very much like to become a neurosurgeon. It's a wild dream, but so is Annabeth's, and everyone believes in HER. So they should have faith in me.

Anyway— I'm pretty certain you're not reading this to learn about my goals if I even make it through this life, moreso my actual life as a demigod. So I'll carry on.

When we arrived, Clarisse was standing beside Annabeth, who had her arms around Juniper, who was crying.

"Who's that?" Percy said quietly.

"Grover's girlfriend," I said simply.

"Grover has a girlfriend?" Percy muttered in disbelief.

"Master Underwood!"

I jumped slightly, and looked toward the front. "Do you seriously expect us to believe this?"

"But Silenus!" Grover stammered. "It's the truth!"

Silenus muttered something to his colleagues, and Chiron trotted up to join them.

"Master Underwood," Silenus said, "for six months— six months, I say— we have been hearing these scandalous claims that you heard the wild god Pan speak."

"But I did!" Grover cried.

"Impudence!" One of the elders said.

"Now Maron, patience," Chiron chastised.

"Patience indeed!" Maron huffed. "I've had it up to my horns with this nonsense. As if the wild god would speak... to him..."

I stepped forward, furiously, and Maron looked at me, a raised eyebrow.

"Just as evil forces have risen, so have other natural forces that we thought extinct," I said, balling my fists up. "I hear in many languages, Maron, and I hear distances most humans can't. When Grover told me he heard Pan— I heard a different sound. A sound I'd never heard before, and it could be Pan."

"We don't rely on demigod testimonies here, foolish child," Maron snarled. "And who are you to trust, when your brother is the one stirring up all these problems?"

Juniper leapt up like she wanted to fight Maron for what he said, and Annabeth and Clarisse held her back.

"She can handle herself," Clarisse muttered, nodding to me.

Percy looked shocked when he saw this.

"For six months," Silenus boomed, "we have indulged you, Master Underwood. We let you travel. We allowed you to keep your searcher's license. We waited for you to bring proof of your preposterous claim. And what have you found in six months of travel?"

"I just need more time!" Grover pleaded.

"Nothing, you've found nothing," another elder hissed.

"But Leneus—"

Silenus raised his hand. Chiron leaned in and muttered something to the satyrs that made them frown.

"Master Underwood," Silenus them announced. "We will give you one more chance. One more week."

"But sir— that's impossible!"

"One more week, Master Underwood. And then, if you cannot prove your claims, it will be time for you to pursue another career. Something to suit your dramatic talents. Puppet theater, perhaps. Or tap dancing."

"But sir— I can't lose my searcher's license. My whole life—"

"This meeting of the council is adjourned," Silenus said. "Now let us enjoy our noonday meal."

He clapped his hands and several nymphs appeared with satyr delicacies for them.

Grover came back. When he saw Percy and I, he winced.

"Hey," he said. "That went well, huh?"

Juniper ran over. "Those old goats! Oh Grover, they don't know how hard you've tried!"

"There is another option," Clarisse said darkly.

"No— Grover I won't let you—" Juniper insisted.

"I'll think about it," Grover whispered. "But we don't even know where to look."

"What are they talking about?" Percy asked me.

"I'll tell you later— inspection is starting, and I need to rally up all the monkeys in my cabin," I sighed, running off toward the cabins.

Travis and Connor, who I'd named assistant leaders because we had so many kids in the cabin, were supposed to be helping me get them to clean up, but they were so busy hotwiring the campus SUV that I was left to do it alone.

"Listen up everyone!" I called, making everyone stare. "Everyone with a bunk goes first, make your beds and tuck any loose items in your trunk! When you're ready, look for your sleeping bag buddy and together you guys can roll the sleeping bags up and put them under the beds. After that just throw any trash into the bin and... if you're sure you're done, you can leave, so we can leave the others space to work."

Most of my siblings and some of the unclaimed nodded and began to work, but I noticed a few sighed and just curled up on their beds.

"You know, if when Silena comes around a select few of you are left here, ONLY you will be doing kitchen duty if we get worst cabin," I said.

That got most of them moving.

"Well played, Queen Castellan."

I turned around and rolled my eyes as I saw Ethan Nakamura standing at the doorway, leaning over and looking around.

"It only works with threats for them, you know?" I mumbled.

I should explain Ethan.

He's a son of Nemesis, and he arrived about a month after Percy did. He's the same age as us, and since Nemesis didn't have a cabin, he got Percy's spot on the floor next to my bunk, and we became friends.

In the time I was gone searching for the Master Bolt, Ethan talked to Luke a lot.

He's very anti-god, thanks to my idiot brother, and I've been trying to rid him of the habit. He's a nice enough person, it just worries me he might act rashly and go rouge like my brother. He always admired him.

"I cleaned my bunk," I said. "Your turn to tuck the sleeping bag under."

Ethan groaned and went over to the bunk, rolling up his sleeping bag with ease and then kicking it under the bed.

The littler ones, as they finished, began to leave, and I ran around double checking their cleaning and tossing any stray bits of trash into the bin by the door.

"Mother during the day, swordswoman by night," Ethan said, following me from bunk to bunk.

"Make yourself useful and clean up the Stolls' mess, would you?"

Ethan sighed, but listened, and I continued running around, fixing as much as I could.

We luckily didn't get worst cabin.

"Good job," Ethan said, when we looked around and saw the cabin was as clean as possible.

"Teamwork," I said, shrugging. "Although— I carried the team."

"Okay, Mother hen—"

"Shut up, Nakamura."

"Oh— don't get feisty or I might have to cut your other cheek."

"Talk to me like that again and I might have to take your other eye out."

He and I narrowed our eyes and stared at each other fixedly for a minute before bursting out laughing.

I really hoped he wouldn't turn out like Luke.

"So, what are you going to do now?" He asked, leaning against a bunk.

"Probably going to to train," I said, shrugging as I went and took my knives out of my trunk.

"No swordfighting today?"

"The sword arena's occupied by an absolutely adorable hellhound, and I won't boot her out for my sake," I said, tossing a knife in the air and catching it. "Besides, it's high time I practiced knife throwing. Haven't done it in a fat minute."

"Mind if I join you?"

"I mind, but I can't stop you from coming along."

Ethan smirked. "Always love being the parasite."

He followed me to the knife arena, his arm dangerously close to mine.

I was surprised he hadn't brought up what happened less than a month ago.

You see, Ethan and I are pretty close. It doesn't seem like it because we don't hang out all the time, but we are. He tells me everything— well, I suspect not everything. And I tell him a lot too, when I don't want to interrupt Percabeth moments to rant.

A month and a half ago, it'd all changed, but you wouldn't think it from looking at us now.

It worried me that he acted like nothing had happened.  
  


"Too slow, Nakamura!"

"We can't all be you, Queen Castellan."

I laughed and rolled my eyes, putting my sword down. "Listen— your technique is fine but you get tired so quickly— and you get distracted even faster!"

"Hard not to get distracted around you," he said, shaking his head.

"What?" I asked, slightly confused.

"You don't stop talking WHILE we're fighting," he said with a grin. "How am I supposed to concentrate?"

"That's how I roll!" I cried. "Luke— Luke taught me by talking to me. It teaches you to focus on the sword's moves, not how your opponent's mouth moves."

He looked at me slyly. "Kind of hard not to focus on how your opponent's mouth moves, isn't it?"

"It isn't that hard once you—"

"—especially when you want to kiss them so bad."

I looked at him, perplexed, my cheeks fiery red.

He licked his lips and looked at me, dropping his sword to the ground.

"No— Ethan— you— you don't— do you?" I stammered, my heart beating abnormally fast.

In case you can't tell, I'm not good at this sappy stuff. I'm genuinely bad at human interaction.

"I do," he said, stepping close so his chest rested against mine. My usually firm grip loosened, which allowed him to swat my sword right out of my hand, making me gulp.

Shit, I don't know how to kiss people.

He leaned in and I just squeezed my eyes shut, not knowing what to do.

I didn't expect him to kiss me so hard.

He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me so firmly I damn near lost my breath.

But I found myself kissing back, and as his hands held me close to him, I tangled my fingers in his hair, sitting up.

I then pulled away, panting.

"Ethan—" I gasped, my face probably redder than the strawberries we grew in the fields.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I don't know what came over me— I—"

He looked like he partly regretted it, which made my chest tighten.

"I shouldn't have," he said, his lip trembling. "This— this is going to ruin everything."

"I like you," I blurted out. "I—"

"I do too, and I want to kiss you again," he said. "B-But we shouldn't— this is going to ruin everything—"

"We'll just never talk about it again," I said quickly, clasping my hands together and looking down. "Until— until we're ready to talk."

He looked at me, his eyes more warm than I'd ever seen them before.

"Okay," he said softly. "Okay— I-I need to go— I'll... I'll see you around."

And with that he left.  
  


We hadn't talked about it since, and he didn't seem about to bring it up.

When we got to the knife arena I set up my targets, and practiced throwing at different angles. Ethan sat back and watched, groaning.

"What?" I inquired, throwing another knife into dead center.

"Why the hell do you have to be so good at everything?"

"I'm not good at everything," I said simply, closing one eye and flicking a knife sideways. It lodged half a centimeter away from the other.

"I bet you couldn't cut an apple vertically in half off my head," Ethan challenged.

"No, vertically no, some part of the knife would hit your scalp," I said. "But horizontally, leaving maybe a centimeter of its base... it could happen. It might cut off some of your hair though."

Ethan laughed and stood up, coming over, his hands in his pockets.

He kept inching closer, and I kept throwing, pretending I hadn't noticed it.

Ethan the reached his arm out, and held my hand to stop me from throwing another knife.

"How am I supposed to practice?" I asked softly, my cheeks beginning to burn.

"Take a break," he mumbled. "Let's talk."

"About?" I asked stupidly. I knew about what, I wanted to hear him say it.

"About this," he said, lifting my chin and leaning down, slamming his lips back onto mine.

I didn't pull away. His arms snaked down my sides and wrapped around my waist, lifting me onto his lap as he stepped backward and sat down. My hands held the back of his neck and I kissed him back just as hard as he was kissing me.

"We'll come back later."

I leapt off of Ethan and saw that Percy was standing at the doorway, his face red, while Tyson covered his one big eye.

"Please do," I hissed, covering my face as I heard them leave and close the door. Then I turned to Ethan, who was smirking.

"Let's talk then," I said abruptly. "What— what is this, Ethan? What... I don't want to just..."

"How about I tell you tomorrow?" He asked, winking. "I'll let you think for now."

"I'll drop a scorpion into your mouth while you sleep."

"Not if I drop one into yours first."


	3. Percabeth Finds A Suspicious Hole

I was woken up at three in the morning by Ethan.

I instinctively swiped out with my arm, expecting him to actually be putting a scorpion in my mouth.

"Lydia!" He snarled, holding his nose while I rubbed my eyes.

"What the hell— is happening?" I yawned.

"There's an Aethiopian drakon outside the borders of camp," he said, rubbing his nose. "The Apollo cabin is in pursuit but drakons have always been your strong suit— Lee thought I should wake you up."

I nodded and strapped on my boots, tearing off my pajama shirt carelessly and putting on my Camp Half Blood shirt before snatching up my sword and running out.

By the time we arrived, Lee Fletcher, head of the Apollo cabin, had already had his crew fire arrows intensely at the drakon, leaving twenty in its hide.

The drakon was about thirty feet long and bright green, with fiery eyes.

"Okay, drakon," I said, strapping my armor on. "My turn."

Lee and the Apollo kids stepped back. The drakon saw me and growled, charging toward me.

I ducked at the last second to the side and sidestepped to roll, ending up under its belly. It didn't see where I'd gone, and when it turned I used its own momentum to slice across its stomach and up to its throat. I sprinted out from under it just in time before it crushed me.

Lee looked at me and shook his head, grinning. "So now you're what— Little Castellan, Queen Castellan, Cyclops Crusher, Slasher, Drakon Slayer—"

"Slasher?" I inquired, smirking as I took off my armer. "Where's that from?"

"That signature deadly slash you do across people's abdomen that always ends up being a set up for your disarm technique— the one we can't learn."

I raised my eyebrow.

"The one where you sidestep, hit their blade, and spin horizontally in midair to kick their blade across the room!" Lee said. "Slasher!"

I laughed and raised my sword, observing it.

"Slasher," I repeated. "I like it."

"You're naming your sword Slasher."

"Yes."

Lee laughed and shrugged, whistling for the Apollo cabin to fall back in. "Try and get some shut eye, Little Castellan."

"I'm not that much littler than you," I countered. Lee smirked. "Younger and shorter, Castellan. It equals little."

Before I could smack the back of his head, he jogged away.

"Good one," Ethan said, clearing his throat.

"Thanks," I said, looking fixedly at him. "Thanks for waking me, too."

He nodded and awkwardly walked beside me.

"So?" I asked. "You going to say anything?"

"I-I'll tell you later," he insisted. "I'm er— figuring out how..."

He then jogged forward and I rolled my eyes, shaking my head.

At breakfast, I had to deal with Travis and Connor trying to steal Katie Gardner of Demeter's new watch, and had to stop the littlest one, Josie, who was nine, from raiding the camp store while we all scraped food into the fire pit of the pavilion.

"Hermes," I whispered, dropping half of my Fruit Loops in. "Please, help us. Help us stop Luke. And help... help Ethan realize that Luke is wrong about you guys. Thanks."

I then stepped back.

I had just sat down when I felt a tug on my shirt. Annabeth lifted me up and took me to the Poseidon cabin, plopping me beside Grover, who was sitting in the seat Tyson had left. (Did I mention Grover and Tyson are scared of each other?) She sat next to Percy.

"We'll tell you what it's about," Annabeth said. "The Labyrinth."

"You're not supposed to be here," Percy whispered, and I looked around and saw everyone was staring.

"We need to talk," she insisted.

"But the rules—" Percy insisted.

"Look," Annabeth said. "Grover is in trouble. There's only one way we can figure to help him. It's the Labyrinth. That's what Clarisse, Lydia, and I have been investigating."

Okay. So we were telling.

"The Labyrinth is no longer in Crete," I said, "it's moved under America and is so big its expanding across a LOT of the continent. The Labyrinth— we discovered— lies right under the mortal world, like a second layer of skin. It's been growing."

"It's been growing for THOUSANDS of years," Annabeth emphasized. "Lacing its way under Western cities and connecting everything together underground. You can get anywhere through the Labyrinth."

"If you don't get lost," Grover said. "And die a horrible death."

"Grover, there has to be a way," I insisted. "Clarisse and Chris lived—"

"Chris was driven insane—"

"What?" Percy gasped. "What—?"

"Remember the secret mission Clarisse went on for Chiron last year?" I whispered, feeling a tightness in my chest. Percy nodded. "It was a secret because she found Chris Rodriguez."

"Hold up," Percy said. "Your brother— the one you were dueling with the day I arrived? The one we saw with Luke on the Princess Andromeda?"

"Yes," I said quietly. "Last summer he just appeared in Phoenix, Arizona, near Clarisse's mom's house. He was wandering around and babbling about string. Completely insane. Clarisse brought him back to her mom's house so the mortals wouldn't institutionalize him. She tried to nurse him back to health— we both did. I went down for a bit. Chris— he recognized me. We managed to get out of him that Luke's men have been exploring the Labyrinth."

"Why were they exploring the Labyrinth?" Percy asked, looking stunned.

"We weren't sure," Annabeth said. "That's why Clarisse went on a scouting expedition. Chiron kept things hushed up because he didn't want anyone panicking. He got me involved because the Labyrinth has always been one of my favorite subjects. The architecture involved... the builder, Daedalus, was a genius."

"And I got involved because, well, Chris and Luke are my brothers," I said, feeling guilty. "But anyway— the point is, the Labyrinth has entrances EVERYWHERE. If Luke were to figure out how to navigate it, he could move his army around with incredible speed."

"Except its a maze, right?" Percy asked.

"Full of horrible traps," Grover agreed. "Dead ends. Illusions. Psychotic goat killing monsters."

"But not if you had Ariadne's string," Annabeth said. "In the old days, Ariadne's string guided Theseus out of the maze. It was a navigation instrument of some kind, invented by Daedalus. And Chris was mumbling about string."

"So Luke is trying to find Ariadne's string," Percy deduced. "Why? What's he planning?"

I shrugged, and Annabeth shook her head. "We don't know. I-I thought maybe he wanted to invade camp through the maze, but that doesn't make sense. The closest entrances Clarisse found were in Manhattan, which wouldn't help Luke get past our borders."

"Clarisse did explore a bit into the tunnels," I added. "It was dangerous— she had some close calls. Annabeth and I researched everything about Daedalus. On my search for Luke I was knocked out for a week because I teleported to Greece for more textbooks. It didn't help much. I don't understand what Luke is planning."

"Hold up—" Percy said. "You TELEPORTED to Greece?"

"I asked my dad for help and he told me in a dream to try it," I said quietly. "It worked but it left me stranded in Greece, asleep on a dock for a week. When I woke up and got the stuff and came back— it was via a plane. It was dangerous. I don't know if I'd be able to teleport other people too."

"Luke can't teleport, can he?" Percy asked anxiously.

"I don't think so," I said, furrowing my brows. "When I met my dad in person he told me I radiated more power— I had more abilities than Luke did. The teleporting thing is rare as it is. Luke can also open the locks with his mind but he isn't naturally fluent in every language the way I am. He also doesn't have the small healing powers I do."

Percy nodded grimly, although he looked alleviated. "But what does this have to do with Grover? Do you think Pan is underground?"

"It might explain why he's been so hard to find," Annabeth said.

Grover shuddered. "Satyrs hate going underground. No searcher would ever try going into that place. No flowers, no sunshine, no coffee shops!"

"But," Annabeth said, "the Labyrinth can lead you almost anywhere. It reads your thoughts. It was designed to fool you, trick you, and kill you. But it you could make it WORK for you—"

"It could lead you to the wild god," Percy concluded. I nodded.

"I can't do it," Grover mumbled. "Just thinking about it makes me want to throw up my silverware."

"Grover, it may be your last chance," Annabeth said. "The council is serious. One week or Lydia will need to teach you how to tap dance."

"We agreed," I groaned, "not to bring up that part of my life."

I hated tap dancing with a burning passion since I'd been forced into lessons back when we were still with my mom.

Over at the head table, Quintus cleared his throat loudly.

"We should go, Annabeth," I said urgently.

"We'll talk later," Annabeth said. "Convince him, will you, Percy?"

Percy nodded and I hoisted Annabeth up. I could see she was now red, since everyone was staring.

"Anna—"

"Shut up," she said, although she smirked, striding over to the Athena table. People watched her as she passed.

Everyone knew Annabeth and Percy were meant to be together except Annabeth and Percy.

________

Percy and I went to have a quick conversation with Blackjack after dinner. (I can speak many animal languages too. It sucks sometimes, because when you're walking down the street and hear a dog groan in constipation while it shits is very uncomfortable.)

After that, we went to Quintus and saw he'd suited up in armor. I assumed we might be playing capture the flag, but it looked more serious.

"Right," Quintus said. "Gather round."

We all moved forward. I went by Ethan, and stood next to Mrs O'Leary, who came for me to scratch her ears.

"You will be in teams of two," Quintus announced. "Which have already been chosen."

There was a lot of complaining.

The teams, however, weren't too bad. Lee Fletcher and Clarisse were the most dangerous, but aside from that the Stolls were together, Percabeth was together, and so were Ethan and I. The only issue came from Grover and Tyson, who were adamant about working together.

The actual game itself wasn't really relevant. Ethan and I almost beat Clarisse and Lee, but Tyson and Grover had a little bit of a problem and whilst trying to stop them from having heart attacks, we missed a laurel that would have gotten us the victory.

Luckily, Ethan wasn't angry.

"Good game," he said, patting my shoulder as I threw Slasher (I like its name) to the ground and began taking my armor off.

"Yeah, sorry about that," I said. "But Tyson can be a little aggressive when he's scared and Grover is frail enough as it is—"

"I get it. It's fine, you don't need to apologize."

I smiled, and looked up at him. "You were gonna tell me something?"

Ethan's eyes became warm again, and for a moment I swore I saw tears.

"I've been thinking really long and hard about this," he said. "I-I wanted to leave Camp, Lydia. I just—"

"You wanted to join Luke," I said bluntly, already reading his expression. Ethan looked taken aback.

"Come on, you've been bashing the gods since he left," I said. "I could tell you agreed with him. But I didn't think—"

"I have a lot of resentment," he mumbled, tapping his eyepatch. Then he stepped forward and gently took my hands. "And I was planning on leaving before you guys got back from your quest to find Artemis. So I wouldn't have to say goodbye to you."

My lip trembled and I urged him to continue.

"But I waited," he said. "I was set back because I waited and that— that week you left to Arizona. I-I was talking to the Stolls and I realized— I realized I really liked you. Then— then I kissed you and I just— it ruined everything. Because now I couldn't leave, I'd screwed everything up."

"You didn't want to leave because of me?" I asked softly. He nodded.

"So I—I—" he stammered, biting his lip. "I've decided to stay. I can... I can try to get over my resentment. I'll need help but... I think I can try. I-I reconsidered. And because I'm staying I-I well... I was wondering if you wanted to—"

"Nakamura! Little Castellan!"

I turned around, half angry, as I saw Clarisse calling.

"What?" I said in a high pitched voice, letting go of Ethan's hands.

"Percy and Annabeth are missing," she said. "We— we need to find them."

My heart nearly stopped. I grabbed Slasher and nodded to Ethan.

"We— we'll talk later," he said, blushing.

"Yeah," I said, jogging after Clarisse and into the woods.

"What was that?" She asked a bit gruffly as I caught up to her. "You and Nakamura finally realized you like each other?"

"What are you talking about?" I hissed.

"Come on, everyone knew you two liked each other. Well, apparently not everyone— you two idiots didn't."

"Oh shut up," I said, turning red.

"Not judging you," she said, looking slightly amused despite the bitch face she had on. "I never thought you'd end up with anyone."

"Gee thanks."

We searched for over an hour and found nothing. But then we heard yells that they'd been found, and we ran back to where Zeus' Fist was.

"Where the hell were you two?" I hissed, seeing Percy and Annabeth looked confused.

"We've been looking forever!" Clarisse said.

"We were only gone a few minutes!" Percy protested.

Chiron then trotted up with Tyson and Grover.

"Percy!" Tyson cried. "You are okay?"

"We're fine," Percy said. "We fell in a hole."

"A hole," I said blankly, seeing Ethan across the way. He smiled slightly to me, and I felt a blush creep onto my cheeks.

"There were three scorpions after us so we ran and hid in the rocks— but we were only gone a minute!" Percy said.

The fact that Annabeth was nodding her head worried me.

"You've been missing for an hour," Chiron said. "The game is over."

"A hole," I repeated, furrowing my eyebrows.

"I think we need to talk about this in the Big House, Chiron," Annabeth said suddenly, nodding to Clarisse and I.

"You found it, didn't you?" Clarisse whispered, making me realize what was going on.

"Yeah... we did," Annabeth said, biting her lip.

The campers went into an uproar, asking questions.

"Tonight is not the right time, and this is not the right place," Chiron said, raising his hand to call for silence. "All of you, back to your cabins. Get some sleep. A game well played, but curfew is past."

He waited until most had left to leave himself. Clarisse then stepped up.

"That explains what Luke is after," she said. Some of the campers heard but asked no questions.

I noticed Ethan staring intently at us.

"What do you mean?" Percy asked. "What did we find?"

"A entrance to the Labyrinth," I said softly, making Annabeth and Clarisse nod. "An invasion route straight into the heart of camp."

When I looked back, I saw Ethan seemed to be waiting for me, but it seemed he had heard everything.

I didn't feel a reason for being worried.

Percy, Annabeth, and Clarisse then retreated. I looked at Ethan and pretended nothing was wrong.

"Let's go back," I said, smiling slightly.

He laced his fingers in mine, catching me by surprise, and walked alongside me to the cabin.

The silence was unnerving.

"So you'll tell me tomorrow, when we won't be interrupted?" I asked, biting my lip as we reached the cabin. Most of my siblings were asleep now.

"I will," Ethan said, smiling. His eyes were not warm, though. I didn't know whether I should worry or not.

"Let me just brush my teeth," I said, going into the bathroom.

When I came back out, I saw Ethan brushing his teeth outside, spitting toothpaste on the grass and rinsing out with his water bottle.

I climbed into my bunk, and he then came in, curling up in his sleeping bag.

"Goodnight, Lydia," he said softly.

"Goodnight Ethan," I mumbled, hugging my pillow and closing my eyes.

The dream memory hit me immediately.  
  


I was jogging to the sword arena. Percy had said he was going to hang out there for a bit, and I wanted to go keep him company.

Of course I was exhausted from the quest, but never too tired to swordfight.

"... the heck with the laurel wreaths," Luke's voice said inside. "I'm not going to end up like those dusty trophies in the Big House attic."

"You make it sound like you're leaving," Percy's voice replied.

I peeked through a crack in the door and saw Luke give Percy a twisted smile. "Oh, I'm leaving all right, Percy. I brought you down here to say goodbye."

Something told me not to open the door.

Luke snapped his fingers and a scorpion appeared.

"I wouldn't," Luke said as Percy started going for his pen. "Pit scorpions can jump up to fifteen feet. Its stinger can pierce right through your clothes. You'll be dead in sixty seconds."

"Luke what—" Percy paused. "You."

You what?

"I saw a lot out there in the world, Percy," Luke said. "Didn't you feel it— the darkness gathering, the monsters growing stronger? Didn't you realize how useless it all is? All the heroics being pawns of the gods. They should've been overthrown thousands of years ago, but they've hung on, thanks to us half bloods."

"Luke— you're talking about our parents," Percy said.

"Is that supposed to make me love them?" Luke said bitterly. "Their precious 'Western civilization' is a disease, Percy. It's killing the world. The only way to stop it is to burn it to the ground, start over with something more honest."

I slowly began to take my knife out as Percy said "you're as crazy as Ares."

"Ares is a fool," Luke hissed. "He never realized the true master he was serving. If I had time, Percy, I could explain. But I'm afraid you won't live that long."

The scorpion was crawling up Percy's leg. I had a clear shot...

"Kronos," Percy blurted out. "That's who you serve. Kronos got you to steal the master bolt and the helm. He spoke to you in your dreams."

"He spoke to you too, Percy," Luke said. "You should have listened."

"He's brainwashing you, Luke," Percy pleaded. "What about Lydia?"

Luke ignored that. "You're wrong. He showed me that my talents are being wasted. You know what my quest was, two years ago? Hermes wanted me to steal a golden apple from the Garden of the Hesperides and return it to Olympus. After all the training I'd done, that was the best he could think up."

I aimed the knife. I had to make sure I timed it exactly right.

"That's not an easy quest," Percy said. "Hercules did it."

"Exactly," Luke said. "Where's the glory in repeating what others have done? All the gods know how to do is replay their past. My heart wasn't in it. The dragon in the garden gave me this scar. And when I came back, all I got was pity. I wanted to pull Olympus down stone by stone right then, but I bided my time. I began to dream of Kronos. He convinced me to steal something worthwhile, something no hero ever had the courage to take. When we went on that winter solstice field trip, once Lydia and the others were finally asleep, I snuck into the throne room and took Zeus' master bolt right from his chair. Hades' helm of darkness too. You wouldn't believe how easy it was. The Olympians are so arrogant, they never dreamed someone would dare steal from them. Their security is horrible. I was halfway across New Jersey before I heard the storms rumbling, and I knew they'd discovered my theft."

I was so close. I could manage a hit now, but Percy was shaking so much out of fear it was too risky.

"So why didn't you bring the items to Kronos?" Percy demanded.

"I got overconfident," Luke hissed, sounding disappointed with himself. "Zeus sent out his sons and daughters to find the bolt. Ares caught me. I could have beaten him, but I wasn't careful enough. He disarmed me, took the items of power, threatened to return them to Olympus and burn me alive. Then Kronos' voice came to me and told me what to say. I put the idea in his head about a war between the gods. He liked it. I was of course punished by the Lord of the Titans in my nightmares. I swore not to fail again. Back at Camp Half Blood, in my dreams, I was told a second hero would arrive, one who could be tricked into taking the bolt and the helm the rest of the way from Ares down to Tartarus."

"Thalia gave her life to save you," Percy snarled. "Lydia considers you her hero. This is how you repay them?"

"Don't speak of Thalia!" Luke shouted, making me falter. The scorpion was too close to Percy's neck. "The gods let her die! That's one of the many things they will pay for."

"You're being used, Luke—"

I chose that moment to throw the knife. Luke and Percy both leapt back, and I saw the knife had not cut Percy, but had killed the scorpion.

Luke looked at me, and he growled.

"I can't believe you," I said, my voice trembling. "You— you made us go through that— because you wanted— Luke—"

"I don't expect you to understand, foolish child," he snarled, taking out his sword. "But I will give you a choice— join me now or watch Percy die. You cannot carry him back to the infirmary in time."

Luke slashed his hand through the air and another scorpion appeared where it had been on Percy's neck.

"Luke stop!" I cried, tears forming in my eyes. "No— please— don't leave me—"

"Choose, Lydia, or I will—"

"Luke!" I said, my hand shaking as I took my sword out. "Please don't— please— you can't do this— this is going to get so many people hurt—"

"Then stay," he spat, stepping back. "I expected better of you, Lydia. I have never been so disappointed in you in my entire life."

As he slashed his sword through the air and vanished in a ripple of darkness, the scorpion bit Percy.

"NO!" I screamed, collapsing onto my knees. Percy gave a gasp. I looked outside and saw there was no one in sight.

"Damn it— DAMN IT—" I cried, my hands frantically trying to lift them up.

"Lydia—" Percy croaked, already going unconscious.

"NO!" I sobbed, pressing my hands to the spot on his neck.

There was a burst of light, and I felt exhausted all of the sudden. My hands glowed for a brief second, and then the grow transitioned into Percy's neck. He and I both gazed, wide eyed, at the light, and when the glowing stopped, I jumped back, covering my face as I let out another strangled sob.

"Healing—" Percy gasped. "You can—"

I cried out loudly and he stopped talking. He scrambled over and put his arms around me.

"Kronos—" I croaked. "Luke— he's— he's—"

"Gone," Percy whispered, causing me to wail and bury my face in his chest.   
  


I woke with a start, gasping, and quickly checked my watch.

Five am.

I looked down for Ethan, and my heart jumped into my throat.

His sleeping bag was gone, and so was his bag full of all his books and knives. On top of my trunk there was a folded piece of paper.

I jumped up and snatched it, and opened it, praying it wasn't true.

When I read it, I nearly burst into tears all over again.

He was gone.


	4. I Want To Dropkick Ethan

In the morning, I felt hollow.

Ethan had heard what we had been talking about.

His intentions of staying behind had disappeared, when he realized he could walk in to Luke's ranks with vital information and start off on his good side, and live out his hatred of the gods.

When I walked into the war council meeting at the swords arena, I blankly shuffled into my seat next to the Stolls, and shuddered as I forced back tears.

I was sad. And angry.

"Good morning, Lydia," Silena Beauregard said cheerily as she took her seat next to me.

I don't remember if I said hi back.

"You okay?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

My lip trembled, and I shook my head.

Annabeth then appeared behind me, and touched my shoulder.

"Spill," she demanded. "What happened?"

"Ethan is gone," I whispered.

Annabeth paled. "Okay everyone— sit down now— this— we need to start this meeting immediately."

She talked quickly, and then looked at me.

"What's the matter?" Chiron said.

"I think," I said softly, "that Luke will know about Zeus' Fist before the day ends."

"What?" Charles Beckendorf asked.

"We theorized Luke assumed there must be an entrance, but didn't quite know," Annabeth said immediately. "But last night— Ethan Nakamura heard."

"Ethan," I added, trying not to burst into tears, "had reconsidered betraying the camp. But he went— he went back on his decision and... left. With that vital piece of information."

"But he said— he said he was going to stay," Travis blurted out. "He said he didn't want to help Luke— he didn't want to leave—"

Travis looked at me and I gulped.

"He didn't want to leave you," Connor finished, looking sideways at his brother.

So much for that.

"Well," I said in a shaky voice. "He's gone now. And I suspect he'll find Luke quickly."

"Interesting," Quintus said, looking distressed as he polished his sword. "And you believe your brother would dare use the Labyrinth as an invasion route?"

Everyone looked at me.

I touched my cheek, tracing the scar.

If he had left this on me, he no longer cared who he hurt.

"He would," I said immediately. "He doesn't care about who he hurts. He wants to wipe us out quickly, and easily, and that route would help him do that at a time when we'd be severely unprepared. My bet is he's been searching for an entrance for months because he believed it was there— and now Ethan will be able to tell him exactly where it is."

"We believe Luke is searching for Daedalus' workshop," Clarisse said.

"The guy who built the maze?" Percy asked.

"Yes," Annabeth replied. "The greatest architect, the greatest inventor of all time. If the legends are true, his workshop is in the center of the Labyrinth. He's the only one who knew how to navigate the maze perfectly. If Luke managed to find the workshop and convince Daedalus to help him, Luke would find the entrance to Zeus' Fist with ease and then— he could navigate anywhere he wanted, quickly and safely. First to Camp Half Blood and then.. to Olympus."

"Back up a sec, Annabeth," Charles said, putting his hands on the table. "Isn't Daedalus dead?"

"I would hope so," Quintus grunted. "He lived what, three thousand years ago? And even if he were alive, don't the old stories say he fled from the Labyrinth?"

"Well," I said, biting my lip and wringing my hands together. "On my trip to Greece I found— I found some particular stories that showed that he could still be alive. Some said that he disappeared back into the Labyrinth and then died— some say he's still in there."

"We need to get in," Annabeth announced. "We have to find the workshop before Luke does. If Daedalus is alive, we convince him to help us, not Luke. If Ariadne's string still exists, we make sure it never falls into Luke's hands."

"Wait a second," Percy said. "If we're worried about an attack, why not just blow up the entrance? Seal the tunnel?"

"Great idea!" Grover exclaimed. "I'll get the dynamite!"

"It's not so easy, stupid," Clarisse growled. "We tried that at the entrance we found in Phoenix. It didn't go so well."

"The Labyrinth is a magical architecture, Percy," Annabeth said. "It would take huge power to seal even one of its entrances. In Phoenix, Clarisse demolished a whole building with a wrecking ball, and the maze entrance just shifted a few feet. The best we can do is prevent Luke from learning to navigate the Labyrinth."

"We could fight," Lee Fletcher offered. "We know where the entrance is now. We can set up a defensive line and wait for them. If an army tries to come through, they'll find us waiting with our bows."

"That's the best we could do," I said, although I shook my head. "But at Mount Tam— we saw the size of Luke's army. They're gigantic, and they outnumber us. And brutal too. They— they would overpower us."

"And now they have Ethan," Connor said, gritting his teeth. "And he's third best swordfighter in the camp— or was. Luke would probably make him a lieutenant right out."

This made everyone nod grimly.

"We have to get to Daedalus's workshop first," Annabeth insisted. "Find Ariadne's string and prevent Luke from using it."

"But if nobody can navigate there—" Percy then paused. "Lydia could you teleport—?"

"No," I said. "We tried in Phoenix— my powers hardly work inside the Labyrinth."

Percy looked disappointed. "Then what chance do we have?"

"I've been studying architecture for years," Annabeth said. "I know Daedalus's Labyrinth better than anybody."

"From reading about it."

"Well yes."

"That's not enough."

"It has to be!"

"It isn't!"

"Are you going to help me or not?"

We watched their argument like a tennis match. Intense. Annoying.

I missed Ethan. We used to argue like that all the time in the sword arena.

"First things first," Chiron said loudly. "We need a quest. Someone must enter the Labyrinth, find the workshop of Daedalus, and prevent Luke from using the maze to invade the camp."

"We all know who should lead this," Clarisse said. "Annabeth."

There was a silent agreement. Annabeth, however, looked nervous, which was odd since she'd been wanting her own quest since I'd met her.

"You've done as much as I have, Clarisse," Annabeth said. "You should go too."

"I'm not going back in there," Clarisse muttered.

"Don't tell me you're scared, Clarisse. Chicken?" Travis asked, smirking.

This was a mistake.

Clarisse stood up, her voice shaky. "You don't understand anything, punk. I'm never going in there again! Never!"

She then stormed out, and Travis looked very guilty.

"The poor girl has had a difficult year," Chiron said. "Now, do we have an agreement that Annabeth should lead the quest?"

We all nodded— well, except for Quintus. He's irrelevant.

"Very well," Chiron said, turning to Annabeth. "My dear, it's your time to visit the Oracle. Assuming you return to us in one piece, we shall discuss what to do next."

As soon as she left, Percy came to me.

"What exactly happened with Ethan?" He asked quietly. "You guys— were you together?"

"He's been— antigod— for awhile," I said, crossing my arms and looking down. "But he— it was slowly starting to fade away. He had considered joining Luke but had chosen not to because he— he had feelings for me and I reciprocated. But I think— seeing that we found an entrance led to him remembering his passion for Luke's movement. So he.. he left. When he first kissed me he said it was going to ruin everything— meaning setting back his plans to join because he didn't want to leave me. But I suppose... in the end he chose Luke."

Percy gently put his arms around me and I shivered, leaning on his shoulder.

"I'm not going to cry," I said, although my voice was no longer steady. "No— I won't—"

"You're remembering when Luke left," Percy whispered. "It's okay to cry, Lydia."

"No— we need to be okay for Annabeth," I said quickly. "We need to— need to—"

"Lydia," Percy said, rubbing my back. "You can cry."

I burst into tears.

A short while after, he led me into the Big House, so we could wait for Annabeth. My eyes were red and puffy, but I no longer cared.

I was so angry.

At Luke.

At Ethan.

Where was my father when I needed him?

When we walked in, I heard a noise through the door I knew all too well.

Percy looked at me and I motioned for him to wait for me at the door.

I stepped inside and Clarisse turned. She looked angry to see Percy, but when she saw me, with tears plastered on my face, her expression softened and she nodded.

I walked down the stairs and sat beside her, looking up into the eyes of my brother.

"He won't drink his nectar," Clarisse said quietly.

"You're an illusion Mary!" Chris said, stepping away from us. "Get away!"

"Her name isn't Mary," I said calmly. "It's Clarisse. Remember? And I'm Lydia."

Chris nodded to me. "Lydia— Little Lydia—"  
  


"LYDIA!"

I squealed and dove for my sword, holding it up and blocking Chris' strike.

"If you win I won't tell," I said in a sing song voice. "But if I win you do my chores and give me five drachmas!"

"This isn't fair!" Chris snarled, his face red.

The others were staring at us in confusion, wondering what we were fighting about.

"Don't you dare say anything," he said, biting his lip. "I-It's supposed to be a secret—"

I leaned my sword closer to whisper in his ear. "Everyone will be surprised to know you kissed Clarisse."

"LYDIA!" Chris snapped.

I screamed again and ran out of the cabin, rolling onto the ground and standing up just as Chris struck toward my head, barely managing to block him. Around us were Chiron and Annabeth, and a new boy with sea green eyes.

"Lydia— Chris!" Chiron said sharply. "Put the swords down!"

I disarmed Chris in the distraction.

"Okay fine, you win, damn it," Chris hissed, grabbing his sword and storming into the cabin.

I would need to tell him later I didn't plan on telling anyone anyway.  
  


"Chris," Clarisse pleaded. "You have to get better. Please— Mr D will be back soon. He's an expert in madness. Just hang on."

Chris shook his head furiously. "Lydia, no," he whined, covering his eyes. When he uncovered them, he looked at Clarisse. "Mary! There's no way out."

He looked behind me, to where I was certain Percy was standing.

Chris let out a strangled gasp. "The son of Poseidon! He's horrible!"

I looked back at Percy, who appeared guilty.

"He's only horrible when he drools, Chris," I said as gently as I could. "Please... come on, take the medicine."

"Can you try your thing?" Clarisse said gruffly, looking at me with desperation. "It helped a little bit last time."

I tenderly placed my hands on Chris' forehead while Clarisse held him steady. I took a deep breath and concentrated.

I hummed slightly as my hands began to glow.

Please, Father, I prayed. Please give me the strength to ease his mind.

My hands burned slightly, and they glowed so bright Clarisse had to look away. Chris was moaning in pain.

Then the glowing ceased and Chris wailed softly, then slumped against Clarisse, looking blankly at me.

"Will you take your medicine now?" Clarisse coaxed, bringing the spoon to his mouth. Chris nodded slowly and took it. He instantly closed his eyes and fell asleep.

"Thank you," Clarisse said, looking up at me. "And I'm sorry. You— you will have to go back in there."

"As long as I'm not alone, I will be fine," I said, standing up, my legs aching. Clarisse winced.

"If you are staying," I said as I backed up, "then you will do everything you can to take care of him. Don't let your despise of Will stop you from asking for his help. Solace has a bit of this too."

I held up my no longer glowing hands. Clarisse nodded.

"Do you think Mr D will be back soon?" She whispered.

I looked up at the broken ceiling and closed my eyes.

Dionysus, I know you hate me, but my brother needs you.

I heard rumbling.

"Soon," I sighed. "As soon as he can."

Clarisse nodded and without another word I bounded upstairs.

Percy was waiting for me by the couch.

"He's going to get worse," I predicted. "Mr D needs to get his fat ass over here..."

Percy almost laughed. "Your eyes— they're still red."

"If I see Ethan again, I might kill him," I said coldly, plopping myself down beside him.

"I don't get it," Percy said. "The way he was kissing you... that guy is NUTS for you. Like— nuts the way my mom and Paul Blowfish are nuts for each other."

"Blofis, Percy," I sighed, shaking my head. "And gods, I wish."

"Please," Percy said. "Ethan was an antisocial dude. He only spoke to you. He had a thing for you."

"Maybe he did but it wasn't enough," I said. "It's whatever, Percy."

"Ethan— was he going to be your boyfriend?"

I bit my lip.

"Maybe," I said. "I don't know. Can we please not talk about it? I heard the attic door open."

Surely enough, Chiron trotted in with Annabeth seconds later.

"Now my dear," Chiron said as Quintus entered the room. "You made it."

"I got the prophecy," Annabeth said, her voice shaky. "I will lead the quest to find Daedalus' workshop."

I nodded.

"What did the prophecy say exactly, my dear?" Chiron prompted. "The wording is important."

"It... it said... you shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze. The dead, the traitor, and the lost one raise. You shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand. The child of Athena's final stand."

Everything looked around uncomfortably.

"We shouldn't jump to conclusions," Silena said softly. "Annabeth isn't the only child of Athena."

"Can the lost one mean Pan?" Grover asked hopefully.

"Who's the ghost king?" Beckendorf blurted out.

I held my hand up and looked at Annabeth. "There is more. That prophecy isn't complete."

Annabeth looked taken aback. "I-I don't remember exactly."

Annabeth had to be lying.

She shifted. "Something about... destroy with a hero's final breath... look, the point is I have to go on. I'll find the workshop and Luke. I need help."

She looked at Percy.

"Will you come?"

"I'm in," Percy said immediately.

Annabeth turned to me. "Lydia..."

"Of course," I said, leaning back on the couch. "No question, Annabeth."

She gulped and smiled gratefully. "Grover? The wild god is waiting."

Grover seemed to forget he hated the underground. "I'll pack extra recyclables for snacks."

"Tyson?" Annabeth said. "I'll need you too."

"Yay! Blow things up time!" Tyson said excitedly.

"Wait," Chiron said. "Annabeth— this goes against the ancient laws. A hero is only allowed two companions. You have five."

"I need them all," Annabeth insisted. "Chiron, it's important."

He flicked his tail nervously. "Annabeth, consider well. You would be breaking ancient laws, and there are always consequences. Last winter, five went on a quest to save Artemis. Only three came back. Think of that. Three is a sacred number."

I thought about it. He was right. There was three of everything in our world. Three fates, three gray sisters, three furies, three Olympian sons of Kronos.

"Five is very risky," Chiron said softly.

Annabeth took a deep breath. "I know. But we have to. Please."

Chiron clearly didn't like it, but he nodded. "Very well. Let us adjourn. The members of the quest must prepare themselves. Tomorrow at dawn, we send you into the Labyrinth."

_________

As soon as Quintus pulled Percy over for a chat, I raced behind Annabeth.

"You need to tell me the last line," I said, sheathing my sword.

"No I don't," Annabeth snapped, rubbing her hands together.

"Don't you think someone else ought to know? If it's important?"

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "You swear on the River Styx you won't tell Percy or anyone?"

"I swear it."

I added a cross on my chest for extra effect.

"Well you're right," Annabeth sighed. "Someone else SHOULD know it. You— I suppose it's your right to know... it was... and lose a love to worse than death."

I looked at her and nodded slowly.

That could only mean Luke. I sensed it.

"I don't know if you or Percy will get hurt," Annabeth said.

Oh gods, she was still hopeful about Luke changing his mind. She wasn't considering that the line could be about him.

"Um," I said, scratching the back of my head. "Well we won't get hurt, don't worry."

She smiled and entered her cabin.

"I'll see you in the morning then," I said, leaning on the doorframe. "I need to go oversee sword fighting again in about ten minutes... I should head over."

"Okay," Annabeth said, taking a deep breath. "Thanks Lydia."

"You're welcome."

She went in and closed the door. When I turned I saw Percy jogging over.

"Is she okay?" He asked, worry lines etched on his forehead. I shook my head.

"You should go in and comfort her," I said nonchalantly, patting his shoulder before I jogged to the sword arena.

When I looked back, I saw he'd gone in.

I smiled, just a bit.

__________

It's hard to sleep when your best friend who's practically your sister is worried out of her mind and the best friend who was supposed to be sleeping next to you is gone.

Ethan usually snores quite a bit. I used to tease him and record it then play it for him in the mornings.

I missed that whenever he woke up before me, he'd tuck me in properly before he did anything. And I missed than when I woke up first, he'd grab my leg and tell me to wait for him. Then he'd get up.

"Idiot," I mumbled, staring at the top of the bunk.

"Excuse me?"

I turned and saw Travis sit up from his bed.

"Not you," I said, pointing a very angry finger at the empty floorspace next to my bunk.

Travis rolled his eyes. "Asshole."

"Tell me about it," I said. "How can you just— kiss me and leave? Like I never mattered?"

"In his mind he got way too attached to you," Travis sighed. "He never meant to— Luke had made it clear when he arrived that he didn't want you two becoming a thing."

"What?" I snapped. "When—?"

"When you went away on that quest for the master bolt," Travis said. "Once Ethan got claimed by Nemesis, Luke threatened him not to make a move on you."

"Why him of all people? I have so many other guy friends."

"Um— maybe because Ethan outright said you were 'cute' before he knew Luke was your older brother."

I rolled my eyes. Typical Ethan, he always said things at the wrong time.

"So lemme guess, Luke saw his skill and started talking to him more and succeeded at making him antigod right away," I guessed. "Then he knew it was only a matter of time before Ethan joined him."

"But the flaw in the plan was that Ethan had been nuts for you since the beginning."

I groaned and leaned back in my bed.

"You really liked him, didn't you?"

"Come on Travis," I muttered. "When have you ever seen ME crush on a boy? Silena tried so hard to pair me up and I felt... nothing. For any of them."

"You're into swordfighters, is why," Travis noted. "And the only good ones were your brothers, Ethan, and Percy. But Percy is practically your brother too, so that left Ethan and ah, maybe Lee Fletcher from Apollo on his lucky days."

I laughed. I never considered that I was mainly attracted to their fighting style.

"Maybe," I said, putting my arms behind my head.

Travis shrugged. "Listen— forget Ethan. There will be another guy. You're our leader, anyways. You don't get to go goo goo eyed. We need you."

"I do NOT go goo goo eyed—"

"You do. Kind of."

I smirked. "Like you with Katie—"

"Shut up."

I giggled. "Well that confirms one thing..."

"You say anything, I'll pulverize you. I-I'll pour centaur blood on you."

"Ouch, don't fancy looking like Phoebe the Huntress," I said.

Travis was silent for a minute. "The Hunters are still trying to recruit you, aren't they?"

"Yes."

"Will you ever go with them?"

"As much as it pains me to be here, remembering stupid Luke and now stupid Ethan, this is my home. Besides I can't give up love. I'd just fall for one of the Huntresses and get kicked out."

Travis laughed. "They ARE pretty fine, aren't they?"

"Thalia would get kicked out if she saw me so often," I said, batting my eyelashes. "She can't resist me, never could."

"Okay, maybe you should sleep now."

I nodded. "Okay. Thanks Travis."

"Mhm," he said, turning over. He started snoring immediately after.

I laughed lightly to myself and closed my eyes.

Of course that only meant entering the world of dreams, and I was not ready for that.


	5. We Meet Some Two-Faced Bastards

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a familiar place.

The stateroom of the Princess Andromeda, where Luke had dueled me just two years before.

Luke was there. He knelt in front of the also familiar sarcophagus of Kronos.

He looked different. His hair wasn't sandy like mine anymore. It was white— pure white. Instead of jeans and a t-shirt he had on a chiton and a himation. He looked like a minor god, truly. He looked healthy as well— not like the broken figure I'd seen at the bottom of Mount Tam last winter.

"Our spies report success, my lord," Luke said immediately. "Camp Half-Blood is sending a quest, as you predicted. Our side of the bargain is almost complete."

"Excellent."

You should be glad you can't hear the freezing cruel voice of Kronos.

"Once we have the means to navigate, I will lead the vanguard through myself."

"My lord," Luke said, "perhaps it's too soon. Perhaps Krios or Hyperion should lead—"

"No. I will. One more heart shall join our cause and THAT will be sufficient. At last I shall fully rise from Tartarus."

"But the form, my lord," Luke said, his voice trembling.

"Show me your sword, Luke Castellan."

Hearing my last name sent shivers down my spine. The way Kronos had said it....

Luke drew Backbiter and I breathed in deeply. I had been lucky he had not cut my cheek with that sword— he had been using another blade. That would have left an even more horrible mark.

"You pledged yourself to me," Kronos said wickedly. "You took this sword as proof of your oath."

"Yes my lord, it's just—"

"You wanted power. I gave you that. You are now beyond harm. Soon you will rule the world of gods and mortals. Do you not wish to avenge yourself? To see Olympus destroyed?"

"Yes," Luke said, shivering slightly.

He was afraid.

The coffin glowed. "Then make ready the strike force. As soon as the bargain is done, we shall move forward. First Camp Half Blood will be reduced to ashes. Once those bothersome heroes are eliminated, we will march on Olympus."

There was a knock on the door. Luke stood and the sarcophagus ceased to glow. He sheathed Backbiter. "Come in."

Four figures entered.

First came two dracaenae. Then an empousa— the cheerleader one Percy had described from his freshman orientation.

Then came Ethan.

I sucked my breath in as Ethan came forward and knelt in front of Luke.

"You have finally arrived," Luke said as Ethan stood back up. "What took you?"

Ethan's jaw twitched. "I'm sorry, Luke—"

"You fell for her, didn't you? After I told you not to?"

"Ooh," the empousa trilled, clearly all about gossip. "Fell for WHO?"

"Nobody," Ethan snapped.

"My sister, Kelli," Luke said icily. "He got delayed because he couldn't bear to leave her behind."

Kelli bared her fangs. "Silly boy, you should have brought her with you!"

"No!" Luke snarled, staring at Kelli. "No, he should not have brought her with him." He turned back to Ethan. "Pathetic. Weak. A son of Nemesis who claims to hate the gods falling under temptation with a girl who fights at Zeus' right hand. Idiot."

Ethan flinched. He didn't look like he regretted it, which made my heart skip a beat.

"I'm sorry," Ethan said quickly. "My lord, forgive me. I will make up for it."

"You'd better," Luke said, rubbing his temples. "I expect only the best from my lieutenant, Nakamura. Don't fail me. And rid your mind of my brat of a sister."

My jaw tightened as Ethan nodded and left the room. Kelli giggled.

"What is it, demon?" Luke hissed. "What are you here for? I told you not to disturb me."

Kelli pouted. "That's not very nice... you look tense. How about a nice shoulder massage?"

Luke stepped back. "If you have something to report, say it. Otherwise, leave."

"I don't know WHY you're so huffy these days, you used to be fun to hang around..."

"That was before I saw what you did to that boy in Seattle."

"He meant nothing to me. Just a snack, really. You know my heart belongs to you, Luke."

I gagged when my brother flashed her a slight smirk.

"Thanks, but no thanks," he said. "Report and get out."

Kelli rolled her eyes. "Fine. The advance team is ready, as you requested. We can leave—" She faltered and frowned.

"What is it?" Luke asked.

"A presence," Kelli said. "Your senses are getting dull, Luke. We're being watched."

She looked around the stateroom then her eyes fixated on me.

"Well if it isn't little Lydia Castellan," she said, brushing her skirt.

Luke turned wildly in my direction just as Kelli bared her fangs and lunged at me.

_________

I woke with a start, and gasped.

"Fucking hell," I whispered, holding my throat.

Could she even kill me in a dream? I didn't know.

I looked outside and saw the sun rising.

"Damn it," I said, getting up and quickly packing a bag before running to the bathroom and getting dressed.

I met the rest of the group at Zeus' Fist. I'd packed all the essentials and had strapped on my legs my impressive array of knives that'd been a gift from my father when I turned fifteen. The edge was imperial gold, and it faded into celestial bronze. Rare, and powerful. I hardly ever used them, but I sensed they'd come in handy.

It was clear, luckily, and I could see all around campers beginning to wake up. Hermes would be at archery today, my least favorite skill. (Sorry, Apollo and Artemis.)

Juniper was hugging Grover and crying. I could see Percy talking to Chiron urgently.

I walked over and Percy looked at me.

"You dreamt it too," he said.

"What?" I asked.

"I just told Chiron the dream I— well we had. About Luke."

"How do you know I had the same dream?" I asked.

"Kelli said your name. She lunged at you but it shattered my dream too."

"Interesting," I sighed. "So you told Chiron?"

"Yes he did," Chiron said gravely. "It appears Ethan is indeed his lieutenant now."

"Scumbag," I hissed.

"I'm sorry?"

"Not you."

I shook my head. Percy winced and shrugged, then walked back with me toward Annabeth and Tyson.

"You two look terrible," Annabeth said. "Percy you've got enormous bags under your eyes..."

"He killed the water fountain last night," Tyson said solemnly.

"You what?" I said, looking perplexed.

"I'll explain later," Percy said sheepishly.

Chiron and Quintus came over.

"Remember, trust each other," Chiron said. He put a hand on my shoulder. "I know you said your powers don't work too well down there but try and use them, if you can."

"I'll try," I said, nodding.

Chiron flicked his tail. "Take care then. And good hunting."

"You too," Percy said.

We walked over to the rocks and I took a deep breath.

Annabeth looked between us.

"I'll go first," I said, seeing the anxious look on her face.

"Goodbye sunshine," Grover said sadly.

"Hello rocks," Tyson agreed.

I climbed through the hole, my heart beating fast, and looked around.

Decently lit now, but who knew how dark it'd be later.

When the others came in, Percy cursed.

"This doesn't look the way it did when Annabeth and I fell in," he mumbled.

"It's ever changing," I said. "I bet it won't be the same when we return."

"If we return through this entrance," Percy said.

"Yes."

"Let's walk," Annabeth said, leading the way. "We should stick to the left wall. If we keep one hand on the left wall and follow it, we should be able to find our way out again by reversing course."

It didn't help. We walked about three hundred feet down before ending in a circular chamber with eight tunnels leading out. When I looked back, the left wall was gone.

"Fucking perfect," I hissed, taking out a knife.

"What way did we come from?" Grover asked anxiously. "Lydia— why did you take out your knife."

"Just to be prepared," I said, flicking the knife back into its pouch. "But it doesn't seem like it's necessary."

"Left walls are mean," Tyson sighed. "Which way now?"

I turned my flashlight up to the walls.

"This isn't nearly enough light," Annabeth moaned in distress.

"Hey don't get all anxious now," I said, scanning the ceiling.

"Can you do the thing?"

"Annabeth none of you are hurt, it's a waste— everyone, just have your flashlights follow Annabeth's. It'll get more light."

We all did so, and her flashlight led ours around to scan the tunnel entrances.

"That way," she decided.

"How do you know?" Percy asked.

"Deductive reasoning," she said.

"So you're guessing?"

"Come on."

Unfortunately the tunnel she'd chosen didn't stay wide for long. The walls of gray cement got narrow, and the ceiling got lower. Tyson had to crawl. Me being the shortest, I had the luxury of still being able to walk upright while the others had to hunch over.

Grover started hyperventilating. "I can't stand it anymore."

"We just got here," I said, turning back to look at him.

"Are we there yet?" Grover mumbled.

"Grover we've been in here about an hour," I said.

"No, only five minutes," Annabeth said, checking her watch.

"Five minutes for you guys was an hour up there, remember?" I said.

"Still five minutes," Annabeth insisted.

"Why would Pan be down here?" Grover groaned. "This is the opposite of the wild."

"The Labyrinth leads out in some places to major cities in the country," I said, pressing my hand on the cold walls. "There is wild everywhere."

The tunnel began to get narrower and narrower, until we were all walking sideways to shuffle through. Just when I thought we might need to turn around, it opened into a large chamber.

"Whoa," Percy said, shining his light on the shimmering mosaic walls.

There were pictures of the Olympians not in Greek style— showing them in an almost distorted manner. Too different.

My dad's nose wasn't that big, for one.

"What is this place?" Percy said, nearing a three tiered fountain.

"This is Roman," I said. "But... it can't possibly be REAL Roman stuff, can it?"

"It is," Annabeth said. "These mosaics are about two thousand years old."

"So the Labyrinth grew into Rome," I muttered.

There was a groaning noise from the tunnel in front of us.

"I can go check it out," I offered, taking out a knife.

"Maybe you should," Grover whimpered.

I slid into the tunnel and shone my flashlight. I saw a shape ahead, but I couldn't tell what.

I held my knife up and aimed, then threw it.

The knife seemed to lodge itself into the creature's chest. The figure collapsed in a cloud of dust.

"Heads up," I said as my knife came flying back. I caught it and saw ichor on it.

"Monster," I noted. "Grover, it's gone."

"Thank you," he whimpered as I sheathed the knife.

Annabeth waved for us to follow her. "The architecture is getting older. That's a good sign. Daedalus' workshop would be in the oldest part."

We began to walk and it seemed to be getting older, but then it became recent, with brass pipes on the walls and graffiti.

I touched a neon tagger sign that read "MOZ RULZ."

"Too recent," I said.

Annabeth looked discouraged. She took a deep breath and forged ahead.

Every few feet the tunnels would twist and branch off then the floor would change from cement to dirt and sometimes tile.

"Okay I'm glad I know that the Labyrinth changes itself," I said to a nervous Tyson. "Otherwise I might think it's architect had only 0.01% of Annabeth's brain..."

Tyson giggled nervously.

At one point we walked through a tunnel with a wooden ceiling. I could hear people walking above.

"Where are we?" Annabeth said, pointing up.

I closed my eyes and concentrated, then the name came. "Huh. King Street. Charleston, South Carolina."

"South Carolina?" Annabeth cried.

"Distance isn't the same," I said. "It's no reason to panic."

She bit her lip.

We turned down a few tunnels and found a skeleton that appeared to be a milkman.

"Poor thing," I said. "A mortal."

"Some people wander in by mistake," Annabeth said as Grover stared wide eyed at the milkman. "Some come exploring on purpose and never make it back. A long time ago, the Cretans even sent people here as human sacrifices."

"He's been down here a long time," Grover gulped, pointing to the white dust across the glass bottles beside him.

"Seems he died trying to get out," I said, noting how his fingers were clawing at the brick wall.

Tyson shivered. "Only bones. Don't worry, goat boy. The milkman is dead."

"The milkman doesn't bother me," Grover said. "It's the smell. Monsters. Can't you smell it?"

Tyson inhaled. "Lots of Monsters. But underground smells like that. Monsters and dead milk people."

"Oh good, I thought maybe I was wrong," Grover said.

"We have to go deeper into the maze," Annabeth said. "There has to be a way to the center."

She led us through a series of corridors and somehow we ended up in the Roman tile room again.

"Janus," I said, seeing the two faced figure that now stood by the fountain.

"Well Annabeth, hurry up!" The left face said.

"Don't mind him," said the Right. "He's terribly rude. Right this way, miss."

Annabeth's jaw dropped. "Uh... I don't..."

"That funny man has two faces," Tyson noticed.

"That funny man has ears you know!" Left hissed. "Now come along, miss."

"No no, this way," Right said. "Talk to me please."

"What ARE you doing here?" I asked, stepping forward.

"Step back please, Lydia Castellan," Left said in a dangerous voice. "It is not your turn to choose."

"No thanks," I said. "What are you leading us to?"

"One exit will lead the way you wish to go," Right said sweetly. "The other leads to certain death."

Annabeth looked confused.

"Now really, Lydia!" Left said. "It's Annabeth's choice. What way do you choose?"

"Why are you trying to confuse me?" Annabeth demanded.

"You're in charge now, my dear," Right said. "All decisions are on your shoulders. That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"We know you, Annabeth," Left cooed. "We know what you wrestle with every day. We know your indecision. You will have to make your choice sooner or later. And the choice may kill you."

"No," Annabeth said. "I don't—"

"Leave her alone," Percy said. "Who are you anyway?"

"I am your best friend," Right said pleasantly.

"I am your worst enemy," Left sneered.

"Um...?" Grover whimpered.

I rolled my eyes. "He's Janus," I said, staring fixedly at both faces. "God of Doorways, beginnings, endings, choices."

"Perhaps you're not as stupid as you look, Lydia Castellan," Left said sharply.

"I'm not stupid," I said. "You are. I haven't got two idiotic faces."

Left and Right rolled their respective eyes.

"Oh we will see you soon enough, Lydia Castellan," Right snapped. "And you too, Perseus Jackson. But for now it's Annabeth's turn. Such fun!"

"Shut up!" Left said. "This is serious. One bad choice can ruin your whole life. It can kill you and all of your friends."

Left smiled crookedly.

"Your brother would know all about that, wouldn't he, Lydia Castellan?" He sneered. "That boy that came through... what was his name?"

"Chris Rodriguez," Right sighed. "Such bad choices..."

My fists balled up tightly.

"Look at her," Left said in amusement. "Don't you WISH you could destroy me the way you did all those monsters, Lydia? You know about bad choices... you know how they hurt people..."

I felt blood in my palms.

Left smirked. "Now, no pressure, Annabeth! Choose!"

"Don't do it," Percy said immediately.

"I'm afraid she has to," Right chirped.

Annabeth licked her lips. "I—I choose—"

The room was flooded with light. Janus covered his faces. When the light faded, a gorgeous woman with gold plaits in her braided hair stood before us, with a dress of shimmering colors upon white fabric.

I dropped to my knees and bowed.

The woman smiled. "You may rise, Lydia."

I stood up, and Percy and Annabeth looked at me in confusion.

"Janus," the woman said softly. "Causing trouble again?"

"No milady!" Left cried.

"Shut up!" Right moaned.

"Excuse me?" The woman asked.

"Not you milady! I was talking to myself!"

"I see," the woman said. "You know very well your visit is premature. The girl's time has not yet come. So I give you a choice: leave these heroes to me, or I shall turn you into a door and break you down."

"What kind of door?" Left asked.

"Shut up!" Right pleaded.

"Because French doors are nice! Lots of natural light!"

"Shut up! Not you milady! Of course. I'll leave. I was just having a bit of fun. Doing my job. Offering choices."

"Causing indecision," the woman said. "Now be gone!"

"Party pooper," Left whined. Then Janus disappeared.

"Thank you, My Lady," I said, bowing my head again.

She smiled and looked around. "I'm not surprised you don't all recognize me. Lydia and I did talk just last winter."

The memory was as clear as day.  
  


It was a bit of a party. The music was turned up in Olympus to celebrate the defeat of the forces at Mount Tam. The gods had decided not to destroy us.

My father didn't look at me longer than he had to. In fact, he went straight to talk to Percy.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned.

Hera had descended from her throne.

I bowed.

"No need, Lydia Castellan," she said sweetly. "I see... you have a mark now."

She touched my scabbed cheek, which had a new wound.

I flinched slightly and she sighed.

"You are brave," she said. "Facing your brother like that. At the edge of a cliff, I hear. I saw from above. He held you over."

"Yeah," I said, shaking my head. "But it's nothing."

"It's everything, Lydia," she said, leading me a bit aways. "Unfortunately your father isn't the best at this sort of family talk. But I am."

I looked up at her.

"Family is difficult," she said. "But family prevails. Don't despair."

I shrugged. "He's too far gone. Even if he isn't dead, it's too late."

"He has not forgotten family, Lydia," Hera said. "He will visit your mother soon."

"My mother?" I asked. I hadn't seen her in nearly nine years.

"It's not the end of the world just yet," she said softly. "Don't let it get you down. I believe the scar shows you've done something."

"Thanks," I said awkwardly. What else was there to say.

"He hasn't forgotten you're his sister," she noted. "Think about that."

Then she had strode away, in all her magnificence.  
  


"Who are you?" Percy asked.

"Hera," she said with a smile. "Queen of Heaven. Now sit with me and talk. I have food."

I was sold at the 'food' part.

________

"Grover dear, use your napkin, don't eat it. Tyson— you are wasting away. Would you like another peanut butter and jelly sandwich?"

"Yes nice lady," Tyson said happily.

"Queen Hera?" Annabeth said. "I can't believe it. What are you doing in the Labyrinth."

"I came to see you, naturally," Hera replied.

"I didn't think you liked heroes," Annabeth said slowly.

I bit into my ham sandwich.

"Because of that little spat I had with Hercules?" Hera asked. "Honestly I got so much bad press because of one disagreement."

"Didn't you try to kill him like— a lot of times?"

"Water under the bridge, my dear," Hera said dismissively. "Besides he was one of my loving husband's children by another woman. My patience wore thin, I'll admit it. But Zeus and I have had some excellent marriage counseling sessions since then. We've aired our feelings and come to an understanding— especially after that last little incident."

"You mean when he sired Thalia?" Percy blurted out.

I face palmed myself.

Hera looked coldly at Percy. "Percy Jackson, isn't it? One of Poseidon's... children. As I recall, I voted to let you live at the winter solstice. I hope I voted correctly."

She turned back to Annabeth. "At any rate, I certainly bear you no ill will, my girl. I appreciate the difficulty of your quest. Especially when you have troublemakers like Janus to deal with."

"Why was he here?" Annabeth asked. "He was driving me crazy."

"Trying to," Hera agreed. "You must understand, the minor gods like Janus have always been frustrated by the small parts they play in the universe. Some I fear, have little love for Olympus. They could easily be swayed to support the rise of my father."

"Your father?" Percy asked. "Oh right."

"Are the minor gods a bit of a hazard then, My Lady?" I asked, carefully wiping my mouth.

"Indeed, Lydia," she said. "Some like Janus, Hecate, and Morpheus— they give lip service to Olympus and yet—"

"That's where Dionysus went," I remembered. "To check on the minor gods."

Hera's eyes twinkled. "Yes, you are right. You see, in times of trouble, even gods can lose faith. They start putting their trust in the wrong things, petty things. They stop looking at the big picture and start being selfish. But I am the goddess of marriage, you see. I'm used to perseverance. You have to rise above the squabbling and chaos and keep believing. You have to always keep your goals in mind."

"What are your goals?" Annabeth inquired.

"To keep my family together, of course," Hera said. "At the moment, the best way I can do that is by helping you. Zeus does not allow me to interfere much, I am afraid. But once every century or so, for a quest I care deeply about, he allows me to grant a wish."

"A wish?"

"Before you ask it, let me give you some advice. I know you seek Daedalus. His Labyrinth is as much a mystery to me as it is to you. But if you want to know his fate, I would visit my son Hephaestus at his forge. Daedalus was a great inventor, a mortal after Hephaestus' heart. There has never been a mortal Hephaestus admired more. If anyone would have kept up with Daedalus and could tell you his fate, it's Hephaestus."

"But how do we get there?" Annabeth asked. "That's my wish. I want a way to navigate the Labyrinth."

"So be it," Hera said a bit sadly. "You wish for something, however, that you have already been given."

"I don't understand."

"It is already within your grasp," she said. "Percy knows the answer."

"I do?" Percy asked.

"But that's not fair!" Annabeth cried. "You're not telling us what it is!"

"Getting something and having the wits to use it are two very different things," Hera noted. "I'm sure your mother Athena would agree."

Thunder rumbled in the distant.

"That is my cue," Hera sighed. "Zeus grows impatient. Think on what I have said, Annabeth. Seek out Hephaestus. You will have to pass through the ranch, I imagine. But keep going. And use all the means at your disposal, however common they may seem."

She pointed to the two doors behind Annabeth and they melted away to show twin corridors. "I have postponed your day of choice, Annabeth, not prevented it. Soon you will have to make a decision."

Hera turned to me. "Family, dear. Do not forget your family. Farewell."

There was a cloud of white smoke and nothing.

"What sort of help was that?" Annabeth said angrily, stomping her foot. "'Here, have a sandwich. Make a wish! Oops, I can't help you!' Poof!"

"Poof," Tyson said sadly.

"Well she said Percy knows the answer," Grover said. "That's something."

"But I don't," Percy said. "I have no idea what she was talking about."

"Stupid," Annabeth hissed, looking at the ceiling.

"You'll know when we need it," I said, putting a hand on Percy's shoulder. "Now which way?"

"Left," Tyson and Grover said in unison.

"How can you be sure?" Annabeth asked.

"Because something is coming from the right," Grover whimpered.

"Something big," Tyson agreed. "In a hurry."

"Left sounds good to me," I said with a small smile as we plunged back into the dark corridor.

Family. What ABOUT family?


	6. We Mix Dippin' Dots With Poison

The tunnel ended up being a dead end and honestly, I was down to turn around and just face whatever monster was coming down the next tunnel, except that Grover and Tyson informed us it was already following us down the tunnel.

"Tyson!" Percy called, once Annabeth determined that the dead end was a boulder that could be moved into a pocket on the side. "Can you?"

Tyson happily agreed and immediately rammed his shoulder against the rock so hard that the entire tunnel shook. Dust trickled down and I sneezed.

"Hurry!" Grover yelled. "Don't bring the roof down but hurry!"

Tyson slammed into the boulder and budged it into the pocket deep enough so we could pass.

"Close the entrance!" Annabeth said.

This time however was a bit more difficult, and it took the combined efforts of all of us to even budge the boulder slightly.

"It's almost here!" Grover cried fearfully. "Lydia— do you think you can do the knife thing again?"

"I don't have a choice, do I?" I said, whipping out two knives. "But if this is as big as you say— keep pushing the boulder."

I stood in the pocket between the wall and the boulder and squinted, but saw nothing, only heard the shuffling footsteps.

I flicked both knives in my hand then threw them, and heard a roar. The footsteps stopped only for a moment.

"There!" Percy yelled.

He and Tyson slammed against a particular spot on the boulder and it covered the entire corridor. When the footsteps started again, I heard them faster, and seconds later whatever had been chasing us wailed in frustration, with some clanging mixed in. I assumed it must be from the knife hilts in its pelt— or skin— or hide hitting the boulder.

"We trapped it," Percy breathed.

"We trapped ourselves too," Grover said.

I turned around and saw Grover was right. We were now in a twenty foot square cement room and the opposite wall was covered with metal bars.

"A cell," I said with a fake smile. "Fucking lovely."

"What in Hades?" Annabeth hissed, tugging at the bars. I could see rows of cells all around in a ring across a dark courtyard. There had to be at least three whole stories of metal doors and metal catwalks.

"Should've brought Beckendorf's power saw watch," I sighed, peering around the room. It looked oddly familiar.

"Okay... it's a prison," Percy said. "Maybe Tyson can break—"

"Shh. Listen," Grover said.

Then I heard it— sobbing. Then a raspy voice.

"What's that language?" Percy muttered.

"I can barely hear it— we need to get closer," I murmured.

Tyson tensed. "It can't be."

"What is it?" I asked.

He ignored me and instead spread two bars and sprinted through them. We wasted no time in running after him.

"I know this place," Annabeth said. "This is Alcatraz."

"The island up in Frisco?" I asked.

"What's Frisco?" Percy asked.

"That's what Luke always called San Francisco, I dunno," I murmured as I listened intently. I still couldn't hear the voice very well.

"My school took a field trip here," Annabeth said. "It's like a museum."

"So we went from Long Island Sound to South Carolina and to California in a day," I noted.

"It would seem so," Annabeth murmured.

"Freeze," Grover said suddenly.

Tyson didn't listen, and Grover pulled him back. "Stop Tyson! Can't you see it?"

I looked up and felt my insides flip.

"Kampê," I whispered, pulling the others back.

"It's her," Tyson whimpered, covering his face.

I made the others crouched down and concentrated.

"My gods," I whispered. "Is she speaking—?"

"The tongue of old times," Tyson confirmed. "What Mother Earth spoke to Titans and her other children. Before the gods." He shivered.

"Lydia— you can understand it?" Percy asked. "Can you translate?"

"Yes," I said, looking at Tyson. He shook his head quickly.

"I am sorry," he said softly.

"It's okay, big guy," I said. "It's better not to do your thing anyway— her voice sounds horrible..."

I closed my eyes.

"She said— you will work for the master or suffer. Now... the other person... thing with her says he won't. Now she's saying... then I shall enjoy your pain, Briares..."

Tyson flinched.

"If you thought your first imprisonment was unbearable, you have yet to feel true torment. Think on this until I return," I finished as Kampê made her way down the stairwell, vipers hissing all around her legs. She spread enormous wings and leapt off the catwalk, soaring away.

"Horrible," Grover said. "I-I've never smelled any monster that strong."

"Who IS she?" Percy asked me.

"She was the jailer that kept the Cyclopes and Hundred Handed Ones imprisoned," I muttered.

"What the hell is a Hundred Handed One?" Percy said.

"I can't pronounce the name," I said sheepishly. "Luke called them that. It's Heka... Hekaton..."

"Hekatonkheires," Annabeth said. "Hundred Handed Ones is another name. They were the elder brothers of Cyclopes."

"Very powerful," Tyson said. "Wonderful! As tall as the sky. So strong they could break mountains!"

"Cool, unless you're a mountain," Percy said, which made me let out a nervous laugh.

"Kampê worked for Kronos then," I said. "Locked them up— tortured them. Zeus killed Kampê in the old times and freed the Cyclopes and Hundred Handed Ones to help fight against the Titans in the big war."

"And now Kampê is back," Percy said.

"She took a long time to reform, that one," I muttered.

"So who's Briares?" Grover asked.

"A Hundred Handed One!" Tyson said. "They are as tall as the sky and—"

"Yeah," Percy said, "they break mountains."

"He's probably not as tall as the sky now if he fits in one of those cells," I said.

"We should check it out before Kampê comes back," Annabeth said.

"Good idea," I said, sprinting behind an already running Tyson up to the cell where Briares was.

To be honest, I have never understood how this world keeps throwing weirder and weirder creatures at us. Janus with his two heads, Argus our guard, with eyes all over his body, and now Briares, who has so many hands in rows I felt dizzy trying to count them.

"Either the sky isn't as tall as it used to be or he's short," Percy said. I muffled a snort.

"Briares!" Tyson said, falling to his knees in front of the sobbing creature. "Great Hundred Handed One! Help us!"

Briares looked confused as hell at first, then just plain sad. "Run while you can, Cyclops. I cannot even help myself."

"You are a Hundred Handed One!" Tyson insisted. "You can do anything!"

Annabeth looked at me and raised an eyebrow. I shrugged.

Briares wiped his nose with six hands at a time.

"I cannot," he said. "Kampê is back. The Titans will rise and throw us back into Tartarus."

"Put on your brave face!" Tyson said.

Braires's face morphed onto a weird featured sort of thing, but it didn't look brave, just creepy. Then he just looked sad again.

"No good," he said. "My scared face keeps coming back."

"Obviously," I said under my breath, which made Annabeth smack me.

"How DID you do that?" Percy asked.

Annabeth smacked him.

"Don't be rude, you two," she hissed. "The Hundred Handed Ones all have fifty different faces."

"Must make it hard to get a yearbook picture," Percy said.

Annabeth scowled but I high fived him.

"It will be okay, Briares!" Tyson said. "We will help you! Can I have your autograph?"

Oh my Jesus. Tyson was too adorable sometimes.

"Guys," Grover said. "We have to get out of here. Kampê will be back— she'll sense us sooner or later."

"Break the bars," Annabeth said.

"Yes!" Tyson said. "Briares can do it! He is very strong. Stronger than Cyclopes even! Watch!"

Briares did nothing. Some of his hands played patty cake, some rock paper scissors, some were still building things out of sticks.

"If he's so strong, why is he stuck in jail?" Percy asked. Annabeth elbowed him.

"He's terrified!" She hissed. "Kampê had imprisoned him in Tartarus for thousands of years. How would you feel?"

Briares covered his face.

"Briares?" Tyson asked. "What— What is wrong? Show us your great strength."

"Tyson, I think you'd better break the bars," Annabeth suggested.

Tyson's smile faded.

"I will break the bars," he said. He did it so easily I was jealous.

Briares looked up then back down.

"Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me," I hissed, looking around nervously for Kampê.

Annabeth smacked me. "Shut up, Lydia!" She turned to Briares. "Come on Briares— Let's get you out of here."

She held out her hand. For a second, Briares's face morphed to a hopeful expression. Several of his arms reached out, but twice as many slapped them away.

"I cannot," he said. "She will punish me."

"So you're just gonna let her keep bullying you?" I said. "You have a chance to escape!"

"Lydia!" Annabeth cried. "It's all right, Briares. You fought the Titans before, and you won, remember?"

"I remember the war," Briares said. His face morphed again— furrowed brow and a pouting mouth. Maybe a brooding face? I wasn't too sure. "Lightning shook the world. We threw many rocks. The Titans and the monsters almost won. Now they are getting strong again. Kampê said so."

He looked at me. "You look just like him."

"Like who?" I asked. He couldn't have possibly met Luke, could he?

"The new leader," he said. "Kronos' right hand. The Castellan boy."

"Yeah, that's my brother," I said stiffly. "Listen Briares— we're going to defeat them again. We will."

"You'd fight against your own brother?" He asked.

"He's been trying to kill me and my friends for years now," I said. "Of course I would."

Annabeth tensed.

"Kampê says they are strong again," he repeated. "Stronger than before."

"Don't listen to her," Percy said. "Come on!"

Briares didn't move.

"Seriously," I hissed, looking around again. "Kampê will be back any minute." I turned to Percy. "We're putting ourselves at great risk. Kampê is more dangerous than most monsters. We should leave the stubborn fool here."

Percy considered it. "I know Lydia, but Tyson will cry for weeks if we leave him."

I bit my tongue. "Well how will we convince him?"

Percy seemed to have an idea. "One game of Rock Paper Scissors!" He blurted out. "If I win, you come with us. If I lose, we'll leave you in jail."

Annabeth and I looked at him like he was crazy.

"I always win Rock Paper Scissors," Briares said, looking doubtful."

"Then let's do it," Percy insisted, pumping his fist in his palm three times.

Briares did the same. A third of his hands threw out rock, a third threw out paper, and the rest threw out scissors.

"Hmm," I said, looking at Percy. My lips curled into a sly smile.

"I told you," Briares said sadly. "I always—"

He noticed Percy's hand too.

"What is that you made?" He asked.

"A gun," Percy said. "A gun beats anything."

"That's not fair," Briares said.

"New times call for desperate measures," I said, smiling smugly and patting Percy's shoulder.

"Kampê is not going to be fair if we hang around," Percy said. "She's going to blame you for ripping off the bars. Now come on!"

"Demigods are cheaters," Briares sniffled, getting up and following us.

I looked down and tensed.

"Shit," I said, seeing that Kampê was snarling at us below. "Run. Now."

The others bolted the other way. Before Kampê could spread her wings, I released a knife and threw it, lodging it in her chest. She screeched and I sprinted behind everyone. I heard giant wings flapping behind me and cursed.

Kampê was snarling in her ancient language and my ears hurt with the pitch. She was spouting more obscenities than Travis and Connor on a bad day.

We scrambled down the stairs and through a corridor, and flew past a guard's station out into another block of prison cells.

"Left!" Annabeth said. "I remember this from the tour."

Just as we burst outside, I whirled around and threw another knife, managing to hit Kampê's abdomen. She roared and I turned back around, seeing we were now in the prison yard, ringed by security towers and barbed wire. Tourists were taking pictures calmly.

I could see Mount Tam in the distance, and I felt my skin crawl when I noticed the dark clouds whirling around it.

The others weren't too far ahead of me when I stopped suddenly to close the doors, and then bolted to catch up to Percy, who was at first stunned that I had caught up. He then seemed to remember who my father was.

"Kampê's too big to get through the doors!" He said hopefully.

The wall exploded behind us and I cursed loudly.

Tourists now became aware of something— I don't know what they saw.

I looked over my shoulder and saw Kampê appear from the dust and rubble, her wings spread wide. She now had in her hand two swords— long, bronze scimitars that glowed with a weird greenish aura, boiling wisps of vapor that smelled sour and hot across the yard.

"Poison!" Grover yelped. "Don't let those things touch you or..."

"Or we'll die?" Percy guessed.

"After you shrivel slowly to dust, yes," Grover said.

"Then let's avoid the swords!" I screamed.

"Briares— fight!" Tyson urged. "Grow to full size!"

I knew there was absolutely no way Briares would be of use. He now had on what I could only assume was his 'absolutely fucking terrified' face.

Kampê now was on her dragon legs, thundering toward us, snakes slithering all over her body.

Percy put a hand in his pocket.

"It's not worth it!" I cried, making him draw his hand away. "We can't stop to fight her!"

I could tell the others were getting tired from so much running, and I doubted they could keep on for much longer. All around us mortals were screaming and running too, emergency sirens blaring.

"Our only chance is to go back into the maze!" Percy yelled.

"We need a diversion!" Annabeth cried.

Tyson stopped and ripped a metal lamppost out of the ground. Percy and Annabeth gasped for air and stopped running.

"I will distract Kampê, you run ahead!" Tyson said.

"I'll help you!" Percy said.

"No, you go!" Tyson insisted. "Poison will hurt Cyclops. A lot of pain. But it won't kill."

"I'm staying with you, Tyson," I said sharply.

"Me too!" Percy said.

Tyson looked worried. "Go brother. Lydia... can stay. I will meet you inside."

"Why Lydia and not me?" Percy cried indignantly. It really wasn't the time to be arguing, in my opinion.

"Lydia has magic hands," Tyson said. "Go brother!"

Percy hesitated but then he, Annabeth, and Grover broke into a run.

I drew my sword and a knife, and tucked the knife up my sleeve. Tyson lowered his pole and charged at Kampê like a jousting knight.

He nailed her in the chest and pushed her back into the wall. I flicked the knife into my palm and threw it, cutting a deep gash into her neck. She wailed and slashed her swords, slicing the pole to shreds. One sword nearly hit Tyson's neck, and I jumped in, bringing Slasher (my sword, in case you've forgotten) up to stop her. Poison squirted around onto the cement.

Tyson ran back and picked up an entire Dippin' Dots stand as I struggled to keep both of Kampê's swords from making contact with my skin. I was dodging poison splatters all across and knew at one point, a blob would hit me.

"Lydia! Duck!"

I ducked at the right moment. The Dippin' Dots stand sailed over my head and made Kampê fly back. Poison and ice cream exploded everywhere, and I leapt back to avoid being hit.

"She has tutti fruitti in her snakes," Tyson noted.

"Good— just RUN!" I screamed, grabbing his shoulder and dragging him with me.

Kampê snarled behind us and started flying toward us at full speed.

Up ahead I could see the others had found the cell where we'd entered.

The stone wall grinded open.

"Faster, Tyson!" I screamed, feeling him slowing down behind me.

"Can't—" he wheezed, and I saw some poison had hit him on the legs earlier.

I dared to look over my shoulder and saw Kampê was almost at our heels, and she was slashing her swords madly.

"You can do it!" Percy yelled, although his eyes were wide with fear.

"Tyson come ON!" I cried, seeing he couldn't go much faster.

In desperation, I whirled him forward like he was a frisbee and he staggered about seven feet ahead of me, now much closer to the entrance.

"Keep going— keep going!" I screamed.

I saw him dive into the tunnel. The wall was not yet closing. I had about five seconds before I got trapped outside with Kampê.

I was about ten feet from the door when I felt my skin get cut.

I screamed as a horrible burning sensation filled my body, and I heard Annabeth let out a strangled cry.

Percy threw his shield and it flew over my head, and it gave me just enough time to throw myself into the Labyrinth before the wall closed behind me. Kampê was snarling outside, pounding against the now closed wall.

"LYDIA!" Annabeth screamed, ripping out the ambrosia square baggie she had and popping two squares into my mouth.

I sobbed in pain and with shaky hands, pushed up my shirt.

"Holy Hera!" Grover whimpered. "Lydia you need to heal yourself fast."

I groaned and slapped my hand over the wound, squeezing my eyes shut tight and concentrating as hard as I could.

Through my eyelids I saw the glowing light, and felt myself gasp, the taste of blood in my mouth.

"I think it worked!" Grover said.

Annabeth hoisted me up and poured some nectar into my mouth. Still moaning, I lapped it up and whimpered, my side aching.

"That's going to scar," Annabeth muttered as Percy handed her several bandages. She put them on my skin and scowled.

"What?" I whined. "I got hurt— you didn't!"

"You just had to be the hero!" She hissed. "You always do this, Lydia, you ALWAYS try and take a hit so we don't!"

"I'm sorry I was trying to save your lives!" I snapped.

"Well stop trying!" Annabeth said, her eyes filled with tears.

I rolled to sit up and winced, standing up. Annabeth still looked very mad.

I checked my knife pouch and cursed. I had lost five out of the ten knives I had in the case.

"We need to keep moving," Annabeth said sharply.

Percy and Grover wrapped their arms around me and helped me walk.

We finally stopped in a room full of waterfalls. The floor was one big pit ringed by a slippery stone walkway.

"This pit goes straight to Tartarus," Briares said. "I should jump in and save you the trouble.

"Oh for gods sake," I said. "Tyson and I didn't just risk our necks for you to say that."

Tyson nodded his head vigorously.

"You can come back to camp with us," Annabeth offered. "You can help us prepare. You know more about fighting Titans than anybody."

"I have nothing to offer," Briares replied. "I have lost everything."

"What about your brothers?" Tyson asked. "The other two must stand tall as mountains! We can take you to them."

"They are no more. They faded," Briares said.

"What do you mean they faded?" Percy asked. "I thought monsters were immortal, like gods."

"Percy even immortality has limits," Grover said weakly. "Sometimes monsters get forgotten and they lose their will to stay immortal."

Briares shook his head.

"I must go," he said.

"Kronos's army will invade camp," Tyson said. "We need help."

"I cannot, Cyclops."

"You are strong."

"Not anymore," Briares said, standing up.

"Hey," Percy said, grabbing his arm and leading him away. Tyson began to sob.

Briares eventually trudged away, making Tyson cry harder. Annabeth led us down another corridor and we settled in a corner to rest.

"How do we know when it's morning?" Grover asked.

"We'll go when everyone wakes up," I said softly, which Annabeth nodded to.

I set up my sleeping bag next to Annabeth's and laid down.

"I'm sorry I got mad at you," Annabeth muttered. "But lose a love to worse than death... I don't want you to get hurt."

"Getting hurt is inevitable down here, Annabeth," I said. "It's okay. I don't mind getting butchered up. We wouldn't even be here if I'd just..."

"You CANNOT blame yourself for Luke going rouge, or for Ethan going rouge," Annabeth said sharply. "Luke was nineteen, Lydia. He knew what he was doing... for a long time. He wasn't going to listen to a twelve year old. As for Ethan... he made his choice."

"Asshole," I mumbled.

She nodded, and Percy came over, setting up on the other side of Annabeth.

"Both of you should sleep," Annabeth said.

"Can't," Percy said. "You two okay?"

"I'm better," I chirped.

Annabeth sighed deeply. "Sure. First day leading the quest. Just great."

"We'll get there," Percy said. "We'll find the workshop before Luke does."

"I just wish this quest was logical," she said in annoyance. "I mean— we're traveling but we have no idea where we'll end up. How can you walk from New York to California in a day?"

"It's just the stupid maze," I said.

"I know it's just," she stopped. "Percy... Lydia... I was kidding myself. All that planning and reading. I have no clue where we're going."

"You're doing great," Percy said. "Besides, we never know what we're doing. It always works out. Remember Circe's island?"

Annabeth snorted. "You made a cute guinea pig."

I smiled at the memory. The most I could remember was a really pretty girl our age named Reyna had helped do my hair, and I'd told her EVERYTHING. She and I had connected.

Perhaps she was my first crush.

Percy and Annabeth kept talking and I slowly began to doze off.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the stateroom of the Princess Andromeda, and Luke and Ethan were there alone.

"Your work has been good, Nakamura," Luke said. He looked paler than before, and his hair was even whiter— if that was possible.

Ethan nodded slowly, his hand gripping his sword firmly.

"He is almost strong enough, yes?" He asked.

"You joining was the last piece we needed," Luke said. "Once you officially pledge yourself at the ritual, it will all be ready."

Ritual? What ritual?

Ethan bowed his head.

"But," Luke said, making Ethan look up. "That will not work so well if you're still acting a love sick fool."

Ethan looked taken aback.

"Don't think I don't know, Nakamura," Luke said, lunging forward and grabbing his wrist. He pushed Ethan's sleeve up to reveal a hair tie— one of my distinct, red hair ties with golden specs.

"You refuse to take it off," Luke noted. "You're still thinking about her."

Ethan snatched his hand from Luke's grip. "It's just a stupid hair tie, Luke, what do you care?"

"I won't have that girl polluting your mind."

"'That girl?'" Ethan hissed. "She's your sister!"

"That brat is no concern of mine anymore," Luke said coldly, which for me felt like a stab in the chest. "I should have killed her when I had the chance."

Gee, thanks bro.

"How can you say that?" Ethan snapped. "Luke— you... you can't possibly. Something inside you has to remember how much you... you loved her."

"She was an idiot for ignoring me the many, many times I asked her to join me," he said sharply. "I have no love for that stupid girl. The fact you do is revolting. You are weak. How much do you care about our cause, Nakamura? How involved are you? If your membership is wavering because you can't forget that girl, then perhaps I should kill you right now so we don't waste time to help our lord. Do you serve Kronos or the gods?"

"Kronos!" Ethan cried. "But—"

Luke grabbed him by the neck roughly. "If you serve Kronos, you will FORGET HER. I will not ask you again, Nakamura. If I have to hear from the dracaenae again that you're having dreams about her, I will not hesitate to snap your neck and give you to the giant."

Ethan gulped, and he ripped the hair tie off his wrist. He looked at it, and I saw his jaw twitch. Then he strode over to the fire and tossed it in.

Luke nodded. "You may go."

Ethan left, and my dream followed him.

He entered a dormitory and sat down on the bed, taking out from under his pillow a thick, folded piece of paper.

He unfolded it and I saw it was a picture of us, from when we won the volleyball game against Will Solace and Michael Yew.

For a terrible minute I thought he might rip the picture, but instead he tucked it in his pocket.

"Forget her," he scoffed. "Forget her..."

He curled up in the bed and shook his head.

"I can't."


	7. We Meet the Rooster Ponies

In the 'morning' I was sore.

Since I was awake before everyone else after having the last watch rotation (out of pity, I'm sure), I took the liberty of preparing 'breakfast' which was really just a bunch of granola bars, juice, and some fruit snacks I'd packed.

Once everyone else woke up, Annabeth checked my wound and announced that I was fine except for an ugly J-shaped scar on my back. We ate and were on the move immediately.

I didn't think to mention my dream. It was really irrelevant to the mission. I mean, what did Ethan burning my hair tie have to do with us finding Daedalus?

Literally nothing.

At one point, the old stone tunnels changed to dirt with cedar beams, like a gold mine.

This made Annabeth agitated.

"This isn't right," she said immediately. "It should still be stone."

We reached a cave where stalactites hung low from the ceiling. In the center of the dirt floor was a rectangular pit, like a grave.

Grover shivered. "It smells like the Underworld in here."

Percy lifted his flashlight. It made a small foil wrapped stand out. Beside it was a half chewed cheeseburger floating in brown carbonated muck.

"Nico," Percy said. "He was summoning the dead again."

"Ghosts were here. I don't like ghosts," Tyson whimpered.

Ah. That's right. Before we left, Percy had briefly confided in me that Nico di Angelo had been summoning the dead with Happy Meals.

"We've got to find him," Percy said. He suddenly sprinted forward.

"Percy!" Annabeth cried.

Percy then ducked into a tunnel. Ahead there appeared to be a faint light. Once the rest of us followed through, we found daylight streaming through bars over our head. We were under a steel gate made of metal pipes, with the outside housing trees and a very blue sky.

"Where are we?" Percy asked suddenly.

There was a moo, and suddenly a cow shadow covered the gate. It looked down at us.

This of course was no normal cow. It was bright cherry red. If it weren't for the light, I'd have perceived it to be blood colored.

It mooed again, and I understood it'd asked us who we were.

I ignored it, because Grover had announced we were under a cattle gate, which stopped cows from getting out of ranches.

"How do you even know that?" I muttered.

"Believe me, if you had hooves, you'd know about cattle guards," he said indignantly. "They're annoying."

"Didn't Hera mention a ranch?" Percy asked as the cow repeated its question. "We need to check it out. Nico might be there."

"How will we get out of here, though?" Annabeth asked.

In response, Tyson punched the cattle guard. It popped off and went flying out of sight. We heard a loud clang and a startled cow cry.

"That hurt them," I said, wincing at the sound of the cow cursing loudly.

Tyson blushed. "Sorry, cow!"

He then helped us out of the tunnel.

The cow that'd been looking at us cocked its head to the side.

"Now will you tell me who you are?" It asked.

"Demigods, why does it matter?" I asked.

"Lydia, why are you talking to the cow?" Percy asked in confusion.

"It's too curious for its own good," I said with a cheeky grin to the cow.

I looked up, examining the landscape.

We were indeed on a ranch. There were rolling hills stretched across the horizon, with oak trees, cactuses, and boulders splattered across them. A barbed wire fence ran from the gate in both directions. All over, there were similar cherry colored cows grazing on clumps of grass.

A few were shouting their questions at me.

"Red cattle," Annabeth observed. "The cattle of the sun."

"What?" Percy asked.

"Means they're sacred to Apollo," I said.

"Holy cows?" Percy inquired.

The cow nearest us snorted, and I took it for a laugh. "Did you hear that, guys? He said 'holy cows.'"

"Please don't," I said, rubbing my temples.

Sometimes I hate this gift.

"Listen!" Grover cried.

We were silent.

That's when I heard it. In the distance, I could hear the baying of dogs. The sound began to get louder.

"Wow that dog needs its mouth washed with soap," I said. "All I hear is several rounds of 'fuck' and 'shit' followed by 'intruders'...."

The underbrush rustled, and a two headed dog burst through.

"Jesus Christ!" I said, leaping back.

"Bad Janus dog!" Tyson cried as the dog snarled and snapped at us.

"Hi!" Grover said in dog.

"Please be quiet," I said firmly.

The dog didn't seem pleased that we could speak animal. It bared its teeth.

Next thing we knew, its master lumbered out of the woods.

The dog was definitely the least of our problems.

The man was huge, and dressed like a typical rancher, straw cowboy hat, jeans, a denim jacket, and all. He held a club with six inch spikes.

"Heel, Orthus," he said to the dog.

Orthus growled again. "Get off my fucking ranch."

"Watch your mouth," I snapped.

His master seemed amused and curious about what I'd just barked back to his dog.

"So what've we got here?" He asked. "Cattle rustlers?"

"Just travelers," Annabeth replied. "We're on a quest."

The man's eye twitched. "Half-bloods, eh?"

"How did you know—" Percy began.

Annabeth cut him off. "I'm Annabeth, daughter of Athena. This is Percy, son of Poseidon. Lydia, daughter of Hermes. Grover the satyr. Tyson, the—"

"Cyclops," the man finished. "Yes, I can see that. I know half-bloods because I am one, sonny. I'm Eurytion, the cowherd for this here ranch. Son of Ares. You came through the Labyrinth like the other one, I reckon."

"The other one?" Percy asked. "You mean Nico di Angelo?"

"We get a load of visitors from the Labyrinth," Eurytion said darkly. "Not many ever leave."

"Wonderful," I scoffed.

"I feel so welcome," Percy murmured.

Eurytion looked over his shoulder like someone might be watching. Then he dropped his voice to a whisper. "I'm only going to say this once, demigods. Get back in the maze now. Before it's too late."

I was about to thank him and go back down the cattle guard, but Annabeth spoke first.

"We're not leaving until we see this other demigod," she said. "Please."

Eurytion didn't seem to happy to hear this. "Then you leave me no choice, missy. I've got to take you to my boss."

_________

I sort of expected to feel like a hostage.

But I didn't. Eurytion didn't tie us up. He walked beside us while Orthus chased small animals, occasionally cursing like a right sailor when he didn't catch them.

"Your dog has a problem," I muttered.

Eurytion smirked. "I haven't met a Hermes kid who was an aligist in awhile."

"An aligist?" I asked.

"The ability you have to be fluent in all existing languages," he said. "What else can you do?"

"A lot," I said nonchalantly. "Open locks with my mind. Lots of stamina. Good sense of direction. Healing powers. Natural ability with medicine and medical terms. Small bits of teleportation."

"So aligism, lock manipulation, stamina, localization, healing, and advanced medicinal knowledge," Eurytion said. "Impressive. You won the demigod lottery for Hermes."

I didn't know how to respond.

"What are THEY for?"

Eurytion turned to Percy, who was pointing at flame blowing horses on the stables we passed by.

"We raise animals for a lot of clients," Eurytion said. "Apollo, Diomedes, and... others."

"Like who?" I inquired.

"No more questions," Eurytion said gruffly.

Suspicious.

Finally we exited the woods. Perched on a hill above us was a big ranch house— all white stone and wood with enormous windows.

"It looks like a Frank Lloyd Wright!" Annabeth said.

Must've been an architectural thing.

All I could think about was how bad of a feeling this was giving me.

"Don't break the rules," Eurytion said as we walked to the front porch. "No fighting. No drawing weapons. And don't make any comments about the boss's appearance."

"Depends what he looks like," I said sarcastically.

"I don't remember you mentioning a smart mouth being one of your powers," Eurytion snapped.

"Welcome to Triple G Ranch."

The figure of a man stood up from his chair on the porch.

His head looked normal. Tan skin, slick black hair, a black pencil moustache. He had a malicious grin on his face.

From the waist below he was also normal. Two legs in oversized jeans, probably Levi's.

But in the middle... it was a bit of a mess.

Three chests. He had three fricking chests.

You'd think by now I'd be used to the weird ass anatomy that Greek beings have.

But I'm really not.

I couldn't even begin to imagine how this had been spontaneously created, and much less how it made it out of someone's birth canal.

His left arm grew out of his left chest, and vice versa, but thanks to his middle chest he had a total of four armpits.

He had three different colored shirts on— one on each chest. The most awful combination of colors too— green, red, and yellow.

This fool looked like a stoplight.

I didn't feel like making a snarky comment on his appearance or asking how the hell he actually got dressed.

I was just confused.

"Say hello to Mr Geryon," Eurytion said.

"Hey," I said flatly.

"Hi," Percy said. "Nice chests— uh, ranch! Nice ranch you have."

Before he could reply, the glass porch doors opened and a familiar figure stepped out.

"Geryon," Nico di Angelo said, "I won't wait for—"

When he saw us, he froze, and drew his sword.

Geryon snarled as soon as he saw it. "Put that away, Mr di Angelo. I ain't gonna have my guests killin' each other."

"But that's—"

"Percy Jackson," Geryon said. "Annabeth Chase. The famous Lydia Castellan. And a couple of their monster friends. Yes, I know."

"Monster friends?" Grover asked indignantly.

"That man is wearing three shirts," Tyson said, as if he'd only just realized it.

"They let my sister die!" Nico snapped, his voice trembling with rage. He looked at me and his jaw tightened. "They're here to kill me!"

I didn't know who he hated more for it— Percy, or me.

Percy had promised he'd keep Bianca safe. But Bianca had sacrificed herself for us. He had failed.

Meanwhile, Bianca had gotten electrocuted inside Talos' control panel thanks to me using a crane to knock the mechanical giant into telephone wires.

I had no idea she had been inside.

"Nico, we're not here to kill you," Percy said, raising his hands. "What happened to Bianca was—"

"Don't speak her name!" Nico spat. "You're not worthy to even talk about her!"

He glared at me. "I could kill you now, and so help me—"

"I didn't know she was in there, Nico, I swear," I said, feeling guilty. "I-I'm sorry—"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just cut your heart out RIGHT now—"

"Wait a minute," Annabeth said, pointing at Geryon. "How do you know our names?"

Nico momentarily reconsidered murdering me in a serial killer like manner.

Geryon winked. "I make it my business to keep informed, darlin'. Everybody pops into the ranch from time to time. Everyone needs something from ole Geryon. Now, Mr di Angelo, put that ugly sword away and stop threatening to kill this young lass before I have Eurytion take it from you."

He reluctantly shoved it away. He looked between Percy and I. "If either of you come near me, I'll summon help. You don't want to meet my helpers, I promise."

"I believe you," Percy said. I nodded in agreement.

Geryon patted Nico's shoulder. "There, we've all made nice. Now come along, folks. I want to give you a tour of the ranch."

He led us into a sort of trolley like think, kind of like the kiddie trains you ride at a zoo to see all the animals. It was painted black and white in a cowhide pattern. The driver's car had longhorns on the hood, and the horn sounded like a cowbell.

Cringey, I know.

Nico sat in the back, probably to keep an eye on us. Eurytion crawled beside him with his spiked club, drawing his hat over his eyes as if he planned to take a nap. Orthus jumped in the front with Geryon and began barking happily in a two part harmony.

He knew his part well.

"We have a huge operation!" Geryon announced as the rest of us seated ourselves in the middle two cars. "Horses and cattle mostly, but all sorts of exotic varieties too."

As we came over a hill, Annabeth gasped. "Hippalektryons? I thought they were extinct."

I didn't know what the fuck those were until I saw them. Their front halves were horses and the back halves, roosters. Their rear feet were huge yellow claws, and they had feathery tails along with red wings.

Another thing to add to the list of 'creatures the gods pulled out of their ass while high on ambrosia's devil food sister.'

"Rooster ponies," Tyson gasped. "Do they lay eggs?"

"Once a year!" Geryon said happily. "Very much in demand for omelettes."

"That's horrible!" Annabeth said. "They must be an endangered species!"

Geryon waved his hand dismissively. "Gold is gold, darlin'. And you haven't tasted the omelettes."

"Gross," I said. "That's just..."

"That's just not right," Grover murmured.

"Now over here, we have our fire breathing horses," Geryon said. "You probably saw them on your way in. They're bred for war, naturally."

"What war?" I asked suspiciously.

It didn't make me feel better when Geryon shot me a sly grin.

"Oh, whichever one comes along," he said. "And over yonder, of course, are our prize red cows."

There must have been hundreds of cows.

"Apollo is too busy to see them," Geryon explained. "So he subcontracts us. We breed them vigorously because there's such a demand."

"Demand?" I said. "What for?"

"Meat, of course! Armies have to eat."

"That's illegal," I scoffed. "Very against ancient laws. You can't kill the sacred cows of the sun god for hamburger meat."

"You'd know all about the law," Geryon said, raising an eyebrow. "They're just animals. If Apollo cared, he'd tell us. Don't get so worked up, Little Castellan."

I flinched when he called me that. The others looked at me immediately.

He must know Luke.

Nico sat forward. "I don't care about any of this, Geryon. We had business to discuss, and this wasn't it!"

"All in good time, Mr di Angelo!" Geryon said. "Look over here, some of my exotic game."

Within barbed wire were giant scorpions.

"Triple G Ranch," Percy gasped. "Your mark was on the crates at Camp. Quintus got his scorpions from you."

"Quintus..." Geryon mused. "Short gray hair, muscular, swordsman?"

"Yes," I said.

"Never heard of him."

I decided we'd be needing to escape soon.

"Now over here are my prize stables. You must see them," Geryon said.

They must have won the prize for the nastiest, smelliest place in the universe.

"What IS that?" Nico gagged.

"My stables!" Geryon said proudly. "Well, actually they belong to Aegas, but we watch over them for a small monthly fee. Aren't they lovely?"

"They're disgusting," Annabeth said.

"Lots of poop," Tyson observed.

"How can you keep animals like that?" Grover cried.

"You're absolutely awful," I snarled.

Geryon looked at me in annoyance. "Ya'll are getting on my nerves. These are flesh eating horses, see? They like these conditions."

"Plus, you're too cheap to have them cleaned," Eurytion muttered from under his hat.

"Quiet!" Geryon snapped. "All right, perhaps the stables are a bit challenging to clean. Perhaps they do make me nauseous when the wind blows the wrong way. But so what? My clients still pay me well."

"What clients?" I hissed.

"Oh, you'd be surprised how many people will pay for a flesh eating horse. They make great garbage disposals. Wonderful way to terrify your enemies. Great at birthday parties—"

"—if your kid is a psychopath," I said under my breath.

"—we rent them out all the time."

"You're a monster," Annabeth decided.

He stopped the trolley. "What gave it away? Was it the three bodies?"

"You have to let these animals go!" Grover cried. "It's not right!"

"And the clients you keep mentioning," I said. "You work for Kronos, right? You're supplying his army with horses, food, whatever they need."

Geryon shrugged. "I work for anyone with gold, missy. I'm a businessman. And I sell them anything I have to offer."

He climbed out of the trolley and went nearer to the stables. Nico hopped out and ran beside him.

"I came here for business, Geryon, and you haven't answered me."

"Mhm," Geryon said. "Yes, you'll get a deal, all right."

"My ghost told me you could help. He said you could guide us to the soul we need."

"Wait a second," Percy said. "I thought I was the soul you wanted."

Nico looked at him like he was crazy. "You? Why would I want you? Bianca's soul is worth a thousand of yours! Now, can you help me, Geryon, or not?"

"Oh, I imagine I could. Your ghost friend, by the way, where is he?"

Nico looked uneasy. "He can't form in broad daylight. It's hard for him. But he's around somewhere."

Geryon smiled. "I'm sure. Minos likes to disappear when things get difficult."

"Minos?" Percy said. "You mean the evil king? THAT'S the ghost who's been giving you advice?"

"It's none of your business, Percy!" Nico snapped. He turned back to Geryon. "And what do you mean about things getting difficult?"

"Well, you see, Nico— can I call you Nico?" Geryon asked.

"No."

"You see, Nico," Geryon said anyway, "Luke Castellan is offering very good money for half-bloods. Especially powerful half-bloods. And I'm sure when he learns your little secret, who you really are, he'll pay very, very well indeed."

At the mention of my brother, I tensed.

Nico drew his sword, but Eurytion quickly knocked it out of his hand. I leapt up, but Orthus pounced on me, knocking me back into my seat.

"I would stay in the car, all of you," Geryon warned as Orthus kept his paws on my chest. "Or Orthus will tear Little Castellan's throat out. Now, Eurytion, if you would be so kind, secure Nico."

"Do I have to?" He asked.

"Yes, you fool!"

Eurytion looked bored as he wrapped one arm around Nico and picked him up like a wrestler.

"Pick up the sword, too," Geryon said distastefully. "There's nothing I hate worse than Stygian Iron."

Eurytion carefully picked up the blade.

"Now," Geryon said cheerfully, "we've had the tour. Let's go back to the lodge, have some lunch, and send an Iris-message to our friends in the Titan army. I'm sure Luke will be pleased to watch me slit his sister's throat with Mr di Angelo's sword for the enjoyment of Mr Nakamura."

"You fiend!" Annabeth cried.

I tensed up even more, and Orthus growled in my face.

He knew Ethan.

"Don't worry, my dear," Geryon told Annabeth. "Once I've delivered Mr di Angelo and killed Little Castellan over here, you and the others in your party can go. I don't interfere with quests— except for this minor exception. Seems you have more than three people anyway. It won't be a loss. I've been paid well to give the rest of you safe passage, which does not, I'm afraid, include Mr di Angelo or Little Castellan."

Of course.

"Paid by whom?" Annabeth snapped. "What do you mean?"

But I knew. It was from Luke. My own brother wanted me dead so Ethan's loyalty could never waver at the simple thought of returning to me.

"Never you mind, darlin,'" Geryon said. "Let's be off, shall we?"

"Wait!" Percy cried. "Geryon, you said you're a businessman! Make me a deal."

"Percy," I hissed.

Geryon narrowed his eyes. "What sort of deal? Do you have gold?"

"I've got something better. Barter."

"But Mr Jackson, you've got nothing."

"You could clean the stables," Eurytion suggested innocently.

"I'll do it!" Percy said. "If I fail you get all of us. Trade us all to Luke for gold."

"Assuming the horses don't eat you," Geryon observed.

"Either way, you get my friends," Percy said, looking at me and nodding slowly. "But if I succeed, you've got to let all of us go, including Lydia and Nico."

"No!" Nico screamed. "Don't do me any favors, Percy. I don't want your help!"

Geryon ignored him. "Percy Jackson, those stables haven't been cleaned in a thousand years. Though, it's true I might be able to sell more stable space if all that poop was cleared away."

"What have you got to lose?" Percy noted.

"All right, I accept your offer," Geryon said. "But you have to get it done by sunset. Otherwise, Little Castellan dies, your friends get sold, and I get rich."

"Deal," Percy agreed.

Geryon nodded. "I'm going to take your friends with me, back to the lodge. We'll wait for you there."

Eurytion looked suspiciously at Percy. He whistled and Orthus leapt off my chest and onto Annabeth's lap, making her yelp. He seemed to know that I wouldn't try anything if she was held hostage.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Annabeth whispered as Percy got off.

"I hope so too," he said.

Geryon started up the trolley again. "Sunset, no later."

The trolley began to move, leaving Percy behind.

Geryon then laughed.

"What?" I hissed.

"Nothing," he said with an evil smirk. "Just thinking about the fact that the Nakamura boy's loyalty will waver when he sees you dead. Luke underestimates just how much he still loves you."


	8. Nico Hates Me A Lot

Right at sunset, I saw Percy approaching from the spot where we all sat, tied up, our mouths gagged.

"Let them go!" He yelled as he ran up to us. "I cleaned the stables!"

Annabeth looked at me and I swore she was grinning like an idiot behind the gag.

Geryon, who'd been flipping burgers while wearing three aprons that spelt out 'KISS THE CHEF,' turned around. "Did you now? How'd you manage it?"

Percy began telling us about some pebbles and how they had water inside them and to be honest I got pretty lost in the story because I was trying so hard to bring my knife from my boot to my hand and cut the ropes.

"Very ingenious," Geryon said. "It would've been better if you'd poisoned that pesky naiad, but no matter."

"Let my friends go," Percy said. "We had a deal."

"Ah, I've been thinking about that," Geryon said. "You see, if I let them go, and let Little Castellan walk out of here alive, I don't get paid."

"You promised!" Percy snapped.

Geryon tsked. "But did you make me swear on the River Styx? No you didn't. So it's not binding. When you're conducting business, sonny, you should always get a binding oath."

I knew I smelled a rat.

Percy drew his sword, making Orthus growl loudly.

"Eurytion," Geryon said, "the boy is starting to annoy me. Kill him."

Eurytion looked at Percy, then at me. "Kill him yourself."

"Excuse me?" Geryon snapped.

"You heard me," Eurytion grumbled. "You keep sending me out to do your dirty work. You pick fights for no good reason, and I'm getting tired of dying for you. You want to fight the kid, do it yourself."

And he was supposed to be a son of Ares? I was in shock.

Geryon angrily threw own his spatula. "You dare defy me? I should fire you right now!"

"And who'd take care of your cattle? Orthus, heel."

"Fine! I'll deal with you later, after the boy is dead!"

Geryon picked up two carving knives and threw them at Percy, who luckily deflected them, and then launched into attack.

I desperately tried to bring my knife up my leg, but saw it was no use. We were bound too tight.

I heard a loud yell and saw Percy had managed to stab Geryon in his middle chest.

He collapsed, but then got up, the wound healing itself.

"Nice try, sonny," he spat. "Thing is, I have three hearts. The perfect backup system."

He tipped over the barbecue, making hot coals fly everywhere. Annabeth let out a muffled scream as one burned his face. Tyson tried to break through the ropes with no luck.

That's when I had an idea.

He had three hearts. The only way to defeat him was to take them all out at once.

And I had the perfect knife throwing hand to get that job done.

"Father, please," I thought, closing my eyes. "One burst of power. It's all I need."

I felt a tugging sensation in my gut, and concentrated.

Immediately I felt the ropes disappear, and saw I'd managed to teleport myself just outside of them.

I quickly whipped a knife out of my boot, and lifted it.

Geryon was too occupied with Percy to notice me, and when he saw me, it was too late.

I flicked the knife and it flew off my fingertips, slicing clean right through each of his chests, and flying out the other side to return to my hand.

Geryon dropped the swords he'd been holding. "Y-Your powers... they told me they didn't work in here..."

He turned a sickly shade of green and collapsed to his knees and turned into dust, leaving us staring at a pair of cowboy boots and three stained cooking aprons.

"Yay for Percy and Lydia!" Tyson said as Percy went to them and cut the ropes with his sword.

"Can we tie up the cowherd now?" Nico asked.

"Yes!" Grover said enthusiastically.

I looked at Eurytion, who was chilling at the picnic table.

"So," I said. "How long will it take Geryon to reform?"

"Hundred years, maybe?" He said with a shrug. "He's not one of those fast re-formers, thank the gods. You've done me a favor." He shifted in his seat. "He was right. They told us you weren't able to use your powers in here."

"I have been able to," I said. "It didn't affect me like it did before."

He nodded. "Last time you'd just found out about your brother, the Rodriguez kid, right?"

"Yep."

"You were hurting. Confused. It was just your emotions getting in the way."

I bit my lip. "That's good then..."

Percy walked up to us. "You said you'd died for him before. How?"

Eurytion straightened up. "I've worked for that creep for thousands of years. Started as a regular half-blood, but I chose immortality when my dad offered it. Worst mistake I ever made. Now I'm stuck here at this ranch. I can't leave. I can't quit. I just tend the cows and fight Geryon's fights. We're kinda tied together."

"Maybe you can change that," Percy suggested.

"How?" Eurytion asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Be nice to the animals. Take care of them. Stop selling them for food."

"And stop dealing with the Titans," I added.

Eurytion considered it. "That'd be all right."

"Get the animals on your side, and they'll help you," Percy said. "Once Geryon gets back, maybe he'll be working for you this time."

Eurytion smirked. "Now THAT I could live with."

"You won't try to stop us from leaving?" I inquired.

"Shoot, no," he said.

Annabeth still looked suspicious as she walked over to us. "Your boss said somebody paid for our safe passage. Who?"

"Maybe he was just saying that to fool you," Eurytion said. "All I know is they want demigods and that Kronos asked Luke to make sure his sister was killed."

"Why would he need that to happen?" Annabeth murmured.

"Ethan," I said, fiddling with the hairtie on my own wrist. "He had one of mine— the hairties— and Luke thought his loyalty was wavering. He probably just didn't want him to leave because of me."

Annabeth frowned.

"What about the Titans?" Percy asked. "Did you Iris-message them about Nico yet?"

"Nope," Eurytion said. "Geryon was waiting until after the barbecue. They don't know about him."

I looked at Nico, who was glaring at me.

I could tell he wished I'd been killed.

"You could stay here until we're done with our quest," Percy told Nico. "It would be safe."

"Safe?" Nico hissed. "What do you care if I'm safe? You got my sister killed!"

"Nico," Annabeth said. "That wasn't Percy or Lydia's fault. And Geryon wasn't lying about Kronos wanting to capture you. If he knew who you were, he'd do anything to get you on his side."

"I'm not on anyone's side," Nico said. "And I'm not afraid."

"You should be," Annabeth said. "Your sister wouldn't want—"

"If you cared for my sister, you'd help me bring her back!"

"A soul for a soul?" Percy asked.

"Yes!"

"But if you didn't want my soul—"

"I'm not explaining anything to you!" Nico growled, blinking tears out of his eyes. "And I will bring her back."

"Bianca wouldn't want to be brought back," I said softly. "Not like that."

"You didn't know her!" Nico snapped. "How do you know what she'd want?"

"Let's ask Bianca," Percy said.

"I've tried," Nico said miserably. "She won't answer."

"Try again," Percy insisted. "I've got a feeling she'll answer with me here."

"Why would she?" Nico spat.

"Because she's been sending me Iris-messages. She's been trying to warn me what you're up to, so I can protect you."

Nico shook his head. "That's impossible."

"One way to find out," Percy said. "You said you're not afraid."

Nico bit his lip. "All right, I'll try."

Percy turned to Eurytion. "We're going to need a pit, like a grave. And food and drinks."

"Percy," Annabeth said, "I don't think this is a good—"

"There's a hole dug out back for a septic tank," Eurytion announced. "We could use that. Cyclops boy, fetch my ice chest from the kitchen. I hope the dead like root beer."

________

"Minos should be here by now," Nico said. "It's full dark."

"Maybe he got lost," Percy said hopefully.

Nico shrugged and poured root beer and tossed barbecue into the pit, then started chanting in Ancient Greek.

It didn't sound like a very nice spell.

"Make him stop," Tyson whispered.

I wanted to. This entire thing was unnatural. Beside me, Percy and Annabeth were tense. Grover looked like he might faint.

The night air turned horribly cold. The first spirits began to appear, sulfurous mist seeping out of the ground beneath us. The shadows became human forms, and one blue shade knelt to drink.

"Stop him!" Nico growled. "Only Bianca may drink."

I swiped Slasher out and cut the ghost off. The ghost hissed at me and retreated.

However, one spirit went anyways, and then solidified into the shape of a bearded man in white robes with a circlet of gold wreathed on his head.

"Minos!" Nico said. "What are you doing?"

"My apologies, master," the ghost said. He didn't sound too sorry. "The sacrifice smelled so good. I couldn't resist... it's good to see myself again. Almost in solid form—"

"You're disrupting the ritual! Get—"

The spirits of the dead began shimmering dangerously bright. Nico had to take up the chant again to keep them at bay.

"Yes, quite right, master," Minos said. "You keep chanting. I've only come to protect you from these liars who would deceive you."

He turned to me. "Lydia Castellan. Odd isn't it, for you to be here, instead of with your brother and that lovely boy who just can't seem to forget you?"

"Don't speak of them," I hissed.

"Hurts you, does it?" Minos inquired. "Where DO your loyalties lie, girl? Are you certain you aren't aligned with the boy who raised you and the boy whom you love?"

"Love?" I scoffed. "I-I don't love Ethan that way."

"Keep telling yourself that," Minos said with a wicked smile. "I can see the madness within you, Lydia Castellan. Your devotion is in question. Was it not you who killed Bianca di Angelo?"

I swiped my sword out, the tip an inch away from his throat. "Don't talk to me about committing murder you psycho. I, unlike you, am not a murderer."

Minos faltered. He sneered and turned to Percy. "Percy Jackson... my, my. The sons of Poseidon haven't improved over the centuries, have they?"

"We're looking for Bianca di Angelo," Percy said. "Get lost."

Minos chuckled. "I understand you once killed my Minotaur with your bare hands. But worse things await you in the maze. Do you really believe Daedalus will help you? Daedalus cares nothing for you, half-bloods. You can't trust him. He is old beyond counting and crafty. He is bitter from the guilt of murder and is cursed by the gods."

"The guilt of murder?" Percy asked. "Who did he kill?"

"Do not change the subject!" Minos growled. "You are hindering Nico. You try to persuade him to give up on his goal. I would make him a lord!"

"Enough, Minos," Nico said sharply.

Minos sneered. "Master, these are your enemies. You must not listen to them! Let me protect you. I will turn their minds to madness as I did the others."

I felt a sharp pain in my gut.

"The others?" Annabeth gasped. "You mean Chris Rodriguez? That was YOU?"

Percy had to hold me back to stop me from lunging at Minos.

"The maze is my property!" He snapped. "Not Daedalus's. Those who intrude, deserve madness."

He looked at me, his lips curled into a malicious smile. "Does that make you angry, Lydia Castellan? To hear your half brother is mad at my hand?"

"Be gone, Minos!" Nico snapped. "I want to see my sister."

Nico then looked at me, and the pain reflected in both our eyes seemed to form a connection.

"As you wish, master," Minos said bitterly. "But I warn you, you cannot trust these heroes."

I wish I could have strangled him, but he faded into mist before Percy released me.

"I wish I could kill him a second time," I spat, angrily jabbing my sword at the spirits below.

"Lydia," Annabeth said gently. "Calm—"

"Don't tell me to calm down," I said, my voice shaky. "Chris is dying because of him."

Annabeth didn't reply.

"Bianca, appear!" Nico intoned suddenly, increasing the pace of his chanting.

"Any time now," Grover muttered, shifting nervously.

In the trees a silver light flickered. From there emerged a spirit— brighter and stronger than the rest. I let it pass, and it knelt to drink. When it arose, the ghostly form of Bianca di Angelo stood before us.

Nico's chanting faltered. The other spirits rushed forward when my sword fell out of my hand, but with a simple wave of her hands, Bianca made them retreat into the woods.

"Hello, Percy," she said. She smiled to me. "It's nice to see you again, Lydia."

She looked exactly the same as she had in life. A green cap over her thick black hair. Her eyes dark and her skin olive just like Nico's. She wore her silver Hunter's jacket, and jeans, with her bow hung over her shoulders.

"Bianca," I said softly.

"You still haven't joined the Hunters, I see," she said. She giggled slightly. "I think I know why..."

I gulped, and Annabeth's eyes widened.

I had never considered I hadn't left because of Ethan.

"I'm so sorry," Percy said suddenly. I looked at Bianca, unable to form words. Somehow, I know that she understood I wanted to say the same.

"You two have nothing to apologize for," she said. "Percy, I made my own choice. I don't regret it. And Lydia... you are the reason why everyone else made it as far as they did. I know you didn't know I was inside the giant."

I swallowed back some guilty tears as Nico greeted her.

"Nico," she sighed. "You've gotten so tall..."

"Why didn't you answer me sooner?" He demanded. "I've been trying for months!"

"I was hoping you would give up."

Nico looked at her in shock. "Give up? How can you say that? I'm trying to save you!"

"You can't, Nico. Don't do this. Percy is right."

"No! He let you die! He and Lydia are not your friends, Bianca—"

Bianca stretched out a hand as if to touch Nico's face, but as she was made of mist, her hand evaporated when it got close to his living skin.

"You must listen to me," she implored. "Holding a grudge is dangerous for a child of Hades. It is our fatal flaw. You have to forgive. Promise me this."

"I can't. Never."

Their exchange was breaking my heart.

I wish Luke still cared that much.

"Percy has been worried about you, Nico," Bianca said. "He can help. I let him see what you were up to, hoping he would find you."

"So it was you," Percy said. "You sent those Iris-messages."

Bianca nodded.

"Why are you helping him and not me?" Nico screeched indignantly. "It's not fair!"

"You are close to the truth now," Bianca said. "It's not Percy— or even Lydia— that you're mad at, Nico. It's me."

Nico refused to accept it.

"You're mad because I left you to become a Hunter of Artemis," Bianca said. "You're mad because I died snd left you alone. I'm sorry for that, Nico. I truly am. But you must overcome the anger. And stop blaming Percy for my choices. It will be your doom."

"She's right," Annabeth broke in. "Kronos is rising, Nico. He'll twist anyone he can to his cause."

She gave me a sideways look.

"I don't care about Kronos," Nico said. "I just want my sister back."

He turned to me. "You understand, don't you?"

My chest tightened. I didn't know what to say.

"Even she understands that some things aren't possible," Bianca said. "You can't have that."

"I'm the son of Hades! I can!"

"Don't try," Bianca urged. "If you love me, don't..."

Her voice trailed off as spirits began to gather again, looking agitated.

"Tartarus stirs," she said softly. "Your power draws the attention of Kronos. The dead must return to the Underworld. It is not safe for us to remain."

"Wait," Nico said. "Please—"

"Goodbye, Nico," Bianca said. "I love you. Remember what I said."

Her form shivered and the ghosts disappeared, leaving us alone with a pit, a Happy Flush septic tank, and a cold full moon.

Nico looked at me, his eyes stinging with tears.

"You can relate, can't you?" He asked softly. "You want your brother back."

I gulped. "We can't have everything, Nico. We can't..."

Nico shook his head. "It's not fair."

"I know," I mumbled as the others walked back to the house. "Believe me, I know...."

_________

That night when I finally managed to fall asleep, it came of no surprise to me to vanish straight into the world of dreams.

I dreamed I was inside the dark palace in the top of Mount Tam— which I could see now was a real building, unlike the half finished illusion I'd seen last winter.

All around the walls, green fires burned in braziers. The floor was polished black marble. A cold wind blew down the hallway, and above, was an open ceiling. The sky swirled with gray storm clouds.

The doors on the side of the large chamber opened, and in stepped in two figures that made my heart ache.

Both dressed for battle, with camouflage pants, white t-shirts, and bronze breastplates.

Ethan and Luke.

Luke, for some reason, did not have Backbiter at his side. Instead he had the same random sword he'd used to cut my cheek.

I found it suspicious that he was no longer carrying it.

Ethan had his own sword in hand. The same one I'd helped him pick from the armory when he arrived to Camp Half-Blood.

"You are certain?" Luke asked. "Certain that Geryon is in Tartarus?"

"Yes," Ethan said. "I'm certain."

Luke looked furious. "So the girl is still alive."

"Yes," Ethan said, gulping slowly.

Luke scowled. "I gave him one job. Let the others pass, kill the girl. Why, pray tell, is she still alive?"

"The dracaenae that heard about the incident claimed that she killed him," Ethan said slowly.

"With those knives, I bet," Luke hissed. "Father always did like her more."

I doubted that could be true. Our father had hardly recognized me when I first met him. He had been there for Luke. Not me.

Ethan seemed uncertain on how to reply.

"Does this pose a problem for you, Lieutenant Nakamura?" Luke asked sharply.

"No my lord," he said immediately. "I hold no feelings for her."

His eyes looked emotionless.

Part of me believed him. And it hurt.

"Good," Luke said. "Perhaps later, she will be yours to kill. I can't have her walking about anymore. She is as powerful as Percy Jackson. Without her, Camp Half Blood will fall to us. But if she's there when we launch the attack, we will be in a spot of trouble."

"But my lord your army—"

"Don't pretend you don't know her, Nakamura," Luke said. "You know as well as I do that if she and Jackson lead them into battle, it will likely be a victory for them, despite the obvious casualties that will happen."

Luke licked his lips. "I have been thinking, however, that perhaps, we may be going about this all wrong."

Ethan looked stunned. "My lord?"

"Perhaps if we could get her on our side."

Ethan shook his head. "My lord you told me yourself that you gave up that idea."

"She wouldn't do it for me," he said. "I am her enemy now. But for you... I think she might change her mind."

Ethan looked at him, completely perplexed.

"Lieutenant Nakamura," Luke said sharply. "You will have a new task. When you see her, you will treat her kindly. Attempt to reconcile. Tell her this was a mistake. Tell her you need her help. She will not deny it to you. Get her on our side. If we manage to have her as another Lieutenant, then Camp Half Blood will be ours."

Ethan swallowed hard. "Yes, my lord."

"Now go," Luke said. "I must convene with our army."

Ethan left, and Luke walked into a large courtyard of where dozens of warriors and dracaenae were preparing for war. When they saw him, the demigods rose to attention. They beat their swords against their shields.

"Issss it time, my lord?" A dracaenae asked.

"Soon," Luke promised. "Continue your work."

"My lord."

Luke turned to behold the cheerleader empousa Kelli. She was smiling at him, wearing in a blue dress. She looked wickedly beautiful— emphasis on wicked. Her eyes flickered, going from pure red to dark brown. Her hair was braided down her back and seemed to catch the light of the torches, as if it were anxious to turn back into pure flame.

She would be hot if she weren't so fucking evil.

My heart beat rapidly. Not only from what I'd heard Luke tell Ethan, but from the fear that Kelli would see me and chase me out of the dream again.

However, she didn't seem to notice me.

"You have a visitor," she told Luke. She stepped aside, and I flinched.

Kampê.

"You," Luke said, his voice shaky. "I told you to stay on Alcatraz."

She blinked and spoke in that awful language. "I come to serve. Give me revenge."

"You're a jailor," Luke said. "Your job—"

"I will have them dead. No one escapes me."

Luke hesitated, a beat of sweat trickling down the side of his face. "Very well. You will go with us. You may carry Ariadne's string. It is a position of great honor."

Kampê hissed at the stars above. She turned, pounding down the hallway on her enormous dragon legs.

"We should have left that one in Tartarus," Luke hissed. "She is too chaotic. Too powerful."

Kelli laughed softly. "You should not fear power, Luke. Use it."

She let her hands grip his shoulders, massaging them. "I heard from the dracaenae that the girl is still alive."

"Unfortunately," he said. "But I have given a new task to Lieutenant Nakamura related to that."

"I TOLD you that you should have had him bring her from the start," she said. "You told me yourself how close those two were."

Luke sighed and shook his head.

"Whatever," he hissed. "The sooner we leave, the better. I want this over with."

"Awww," Kelli said, running a finger down his arm. "You find it unpleasant to destroy your old camp. And you don't want to hurt that little sister of yours... no wonder you changed your mind."

Luke flinched. "I didn't say that. I changed my mind because she's an asset for us."

"Alright," she said. "And you're not having second thoughts about you own... ah, special part?"

"I know my duty," Luke said gruffly.

"That's good. Is our strike force sufficient, do you think? Or will I need to call Mother Hecate for help?"

"We have more than enough," Luke said grimly. "The deal is almost complete. All I need now is to negotiate safe passage through the arena."

"Mmm," Kelli said. "That should be interesting. I would hate to see your handsome head on a spike if you fail."

She leaned in closer to him.

Luke faltered. "I will not fail. And you, demon, don't you have other matters to attend to?"

"Oh yes," she said. "I am bringing despair to your eavesdropping enemies, and meddling sisters. You see, Percy Jackson and Little Castellan were spying again."

She fixated her eyes on me, and lunged.

I woke with a start, my own hands around my throat.


	9. Sorry, Mount St. Helens

The next morning (once Percy and I talked about our shared dream with the others) we said our good byes.

"Nico, you could come with us," Percy offered.

He shook his head. He had enormous bags under his eyes and looked so malnourished, with a chalky complexion and red eyes.

"I need time to think," he said.

"Nico," Annabeth said. "Bianca just wants you to be okay."

She put her hand on his shoulder, but he simply pulled away and trudged up the road toward the ranch house.

"I'm worried about him," Annabeth sighed. "If he starts talking to Minos's ghost again..."

"He'll be all right," Eurytion promised, standing before us in new jeans, a clean Western shirt, and a trimmed beard. He had put on Geryon's boots. "The boy can stay here and gather his thoughts as long as he wants. He'll be safe, I promise."

"What about you?" I asked.

Eurytion scratched Orthus behind one chin. "Things are going to be run a little different on this ranch from now on. No more sacred cattle meat. I'm thinking about soybean patties. And I'm going to befriend those flesh eating horses. Might just sign up for the next rodeo."

"Good luck with that," I said.

"Yep," he said, spitting into the grass. "I reckon you'll be looking for Daedalus's workshop now?"

Annabeth's eyes lit up. "Can you help us?"

Eurytion looked slightly uncomfortable. "Don't know where it is. But Hephaestus probably would."

"That's what Hera said," Annabeth agreed. "But how do we find Hephaestus?"

Eurytion pulled out a necklace from the collar of his shirt. It was simply a smooth silver disk on a silver chain. The disk had a depression in the middle, like a thumbprint. He handed it to Annabeth.

"Hephaestus comes here from time to time," Eurytion says. "Studies the animals and such so he can make bronze automaton copies. Last time, I— uh— did him a favor. A little trick he wanted to play on my dad, Ares, and Aphrodite. He have me that chain in gratitude. Said if I ever needed to find him, the disk would lead me to his forges. But only once."

"And you're giving it to me?" Annabeth asked.

Eurytion blushed. "I don't need to see the forges, miss. Got enough to do here. Just press the button and you'll be on your way."

"Thank you," I said, reaching out my arm. "For everything."

He shook my hand and smiled. "You're welcome, Lydia Castellan."

Annabeth screamed.

I realized that when she'd pressed the button, the disk had sprang to life and grown eight metallic legs.

"Spider!" She cried.

"She's a little scared of spiders," Grover said as Tyson curiously watched the disk run away. "That old grudge between Athena and Arachne."

"Oh," Eurytion said, looking embarrassed. "Sorry miss."

The disk vanished down the cattle guard.

"Hurry," Percy said. "That thing's not going to wait for us."

Annabeth wasn't anxious to follow, but we didn't have much of a choice.

It became apparent, once we'd said proper goodbyes to Eurytion, that we'd have never managed to find the forges if it weren't for Grover and Tyson's excellent hearing.

Even so, we weren't completely immune to the dangers of the Labyrinth when following the spider.

We ran down a marble tunnel and I conveniently collided with a wall that appeared at last minute.

We dashed left, and Tyson and I had to yank Percy back to stop him from falling into an abyss.

Then a tunnel collapsed in front of us, nearly crushing Grover. The problem was, from thereon, there was no floor for the next hundred feet. Just gaping darkness and a series of iron rungs in the ceiling.

The mechanical spider was crossing them with no problem, simply swinging from bar to bar by shooting out metal web fiber.

"Monkey bars," Annabeth said. "I'm great at these."

She leaped onto the first rung and started swinging her way across.

Funny how she was scared of a tiny spider but not of plummeting to her death from a set of monkey bars. Go figure.

"I'm not the best at these," I sighed. As Percy began to cross, I took out a rope from my pouch and fastened it to one of my knives.

Just as Tyson let Grover on his back to swing across, I threw the knife as far forward as it would go.

"Lydia, did you throw that?" I heard Annabeth call ahead.

"Yep! Is it secure?"

"Yeah," she yelled back.

I whooped, and fastened the other end of the rope to me. Thank the gods for making such long ropes.

I sprinted forward and kicked off the ground, swinging down into the pit below.

I landed on the ledge on the other side just as Percy finished.

"You couldn't have done that for all of us?" He asked.

"Well you all started going before I could offer," I said with a shrug, recoiling my rope and retrieving my knife.

Luckily, Tyson and Grover made it across in three swings, because just as they landed, the last iron bar ripped free under their combined weight.

We kept moving and passed a skeleton crumpled in the tunnel. Its remains included a dress shirt, slacks, and a tie.

A businessman, perhaps.

The spider was way ahead of us by now, and hadn't bothered to slow down. We kept following it until we reached a large room. A blazing light hit us.

I hissed, and once my eyes adjusted, realized that we were surrounded by skeletons. Some were old and bleached white, others recent and a lot grosser.

"Fascinating," I said, kneeling down on a particularly recent one. "Its organs are hardly shriveled up— this one is just days old."

"Please don't try and dissect it," Annabeth said, scrunching up her nose. "Do that in your class."

I smirked. I dissected plenty cadavers in my anatomy class.

As we kept going through the chamber, a figure became more apparent.

Another monster.

She stood on a glittery dais on the opposite side of the room. A sphinx.

She sort of reminded me of an old elementary school teacher of mine, with her hair in a tight bun and far too much makeup plastering her face.

On her chest she had pinned a blue ribbon with the words "THIS MONSTER HAS BEEN RATED EXEMPLARY!"

"Sphinx," Tyson whimpered.

I took his hand and squeezed it. Percy had told us that when Tyson was small, he'd been attacked by a Sphinx.

Annabeth started forward, but the sphinx roared, showing fangs in her otherwise human face.

Bars came down all around us in the tunnel exits, trapping us in the chamber with her.

Problematic.

"Welcome, lucky contestants!" She said, now bearing a dazzling smile. "Get ready to play... ANSWER THAT RIDDLE!"

Applause burst from the ceiling. Spotlights swept around and reflected off the dais, throwing disco glitter over the skeletons on the floor.

"Fabulous prizes!" The Sphinx said. "Pass the test and you get to advance. Fail, and I get to eat you? Who will be our contestant?"

"Okay it's got to be Lydia or Annabeth that does this," Grover said immediately. "Lydia's in med school and Annabeth is a daughter of Athena."

"It's going to be Annabeth, are you kidding?" I asked. "Just cause I'm in med school doesn't mean I can answer a riddle."

Annabeth smirked. "I've got it. I know what she's going to ask."

She stepped forward to the contestant's podium, which had a skeleton in a school uniform hunched over it. She pushed the skeleton out of the way, and it clattered to the floor.

"Sorry," Annabeth told it.

Thank the gods it didn't reply.

"Welcome, Annabeth Chase!" The Sphinx said. Suspicious how she knew her name. "Are you ready for your test?"

"Yes," Annabeth said. "Ask your riddle."

"Twenty riddles, actually!" The Sphinx said gleefully.

"What?" Annabeth cried. "But back in the old days—"

"Oh, we've raised our standards. To pass, you must show proficiency in all twenty. Isn't that great?"

Annabeth looked at us nervously.

I gave her an encouraging thumbs up.

"Okay," she said. "I'm ready."

A drumroll sounded above. The sphinx's eyes glittered excitedly. "What.... is the capital of Bulgaria?"

Let me make a note here.

First of all, that is in no way a riddle.

Second of all, I still wouldn't have known the answer so thank the gods for Annabeth.

"Sofia," she said. "But—"

"Correct!" More applause sounded. The Sphinx smiled so widely her fangs showed. "Please be sure to mark your answer clearly on your test sheet with a number 2 pencil."

This gave me school flashbacks, and I shivered.

A test booklet appeared on the podium in front of Annabeth, along with a sharpened pencil.

Well, at least she provided the materials.

"Make sure you bubble each answer clearly and stay inside the circle," the Sphinx recited. "If you have to erase, erase completely or the machine will not be able to read your answers."

That was exactly what my proctor had said when I took the SAT three years ago. Scary.

"What machine?" Annabeth asked.

The Sphinx pointed her paw. Over by the spotlight was a bronze box with a bunch of gears and levers and a big Greek letter Êta on the side— the mark of Hephaestus.

"Now," The Sphinx said. "Next question—"

"Wait a second," Annabeth protested. "What about 'What walks on four legs in the morning?'"

"I beg your pardon?" The Sphinx said, clearly annoyed.

"The riddle about the man. He walks on four legs in the morning, like a baby, two legs in the afternoon, like an adult, and three legs in the evening, as an old man with a cane. That's the riddle you used to ask."

"Exactly why we changed the test!" The Sphinx exclaimed. "You already knew the answer. Now second question, what is the square root of sixteen?"

"Four, but—"

"Correct! Which US President signed the Emancipation Proclamation?"

I was surprised I knew it was Lincoln.

"Correct! Riddle number four. How much—"

"Hold up!" Annabeth shouted.

I had the urge to tell her to stop complaining. She was doing great, and at this rate she'd get everything right and we could skip along to Hephaestus's forge.

"These aren't riddles," she said.

"What do you mean?" The Sphinx snapped. "Of course they are. The test material is specially designed—"

"It's just a bunch of dumb, random facts," Annabeth insisted. "Riddles are supposed to make you think."

"Think?" The Sphinx frowned. "How am I supposed to test whether you can think? That's ridiculous! Now how much force is required—"

"Stop!" Annabeth cried. "This is a stupid test."

The Sphinx didn't look happy to hear that.

"Annabeth," Grover cut in nervously. "Maybe you should just, you know, finish first and complain later?"

"I'm a child of Athena," she said. "This is an insult to my intelligence."

She had a point.

She looked the Sphinx dead in the eyes. "I won't answer these questions."

I'm surprised the Sphinx didn't bite her head off.

Instead, the spotlights glared, and the Sphinx's eyes glittered pure black.

Well, fuckety fuck.

"Well then, my dear," the Sphinx said in a dangerously calm manner. "If you won't pass, you fail. And since we can't allow any children to be held back, you'll be EATEN."

I'm glad this method hasn't been used for population control and weeding out the more incompetent beings with lesser traits that would be detrimental in nature and would be undesirable for reproduction.

The Sphinx then bared her claws, which gleamed like stainless steel. She pounced straight at the podium.

"No!" Tyson cried. He charged, tackling the Sphinx in midair and making the monster crash into a pile of bones. Luckily, this gave Annabeth enough time to gather her wits and draw her knife.

By the time Tyson stood, his shirt clawed to shreds, I had Slasher out.

Percy ran forward to shield Annabeth as I charged to help Tyson, who'd been swatted aside.

The Sphinx roared and slashed her claws at me, and I dodged, slicing across her chest and making her growl as she staggered back.

But she didn't attack me. Instead, she hissed and pounced at Annabeth.

Annabeth, however, put her Invisibility cap on and seconds later, the Sphinx landed where Annabeth had been standing, coming up with empty paws.

"No fair!" She cried. "Cheater!"

She pounced back at me, and I ducked under her at the right time, holding my sword vertically.

She roared as it slashed her side. Just as she was about to rip my face off, Tyson ripped her grading machine out of the floor and threw it at the Sphinx's head, giving me a chance to leap back.

I heard a crash, and saw the machine in pieces around her.

"My grading machine!" She wailed. "I can't be exemplary without my test scores!"

Gods, she sounded like every public school teacher I ever had.

The bars lifted from the exits. We all dashed for the far tunnel.

I really hoped Annabeth, wherever she was, had done the same.

The Sphinx began to follow, but Grover raised his reed pipes and began to play. Suddenly, all the pencils on the floor seemed to remember they were once part of a tree. They collected around the Sphinx's paws, growing roots and branches, and began wrapping around her legs.

The Sphinx ripped through them, of course, but it bought us enough time.

Tyson pulled Grover into the tunnel just as the bars slammed shut behind us.

Annabeth them removed her cap, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's keep moving," she urged.

I nodded as we began to run through the dark tunnel, listening to the roar of the Sphinx behind us as she complained about all the tests she would have to grade by hand.

_________

I honestly thought we'd never find the mechanical spider again.

Thankfully, Tyson's incredible hearing picked up a faint pinging sound, and after a few turns and some backtracking, we found the spider banging its tiny head on a metal door.

"Hey, little one," I said, bending down to pick it up.

I cradled it in my hands and observed the door it had hit.

It looked like a very old fashioned submarine hatch— oval, with metal rivets around the edges an a wheel for a doorknob. Where the portal should have been, was a brass plaque that was green with age. A Greek Êta was inscribed in the center.

"This is it," I sighed. "Ready to meet Hephaestus?"

"No," Percy said honestly.

"Yes!" Tyson said gleefully, turning the wheel.

"Thank you for your honesty," I noted as we stepped in, the spider springing out of my hands.

The room was probably bigger than all of Camp Half-Blood. It looked like a mechanic's garage, with several hydraulic lifts. Some had cars on them, but others had random objects like a bronze hippalektryon with its horse head off and a bunch if wires hanging out of its rooster tail. There was a metal lion that seemed to be hooked up to a battery charger, and a Greek war chariot made entirely out of flames.

All over the work tables, smaller projects were cluttered. Tools were hung along the walls. Each had its own outline on a peg board, but strangely, nothing seemed to be in the right place. The hammer was over the screwdriver's place. The staple gun was where the hacksaw was supposed to go.

Under the nearest hydraulic lift (holding a '96 Toyota Corolla) a pair of legs stuck out, the lower half of a huge man in grubby gray pants and shoes even bigger than Tyson's. One of the legs was in a metal brace.

The spider ran right under the car, and the banging stopped.

"Well, well," a deep voice boomed from under the Corolla. "What have we here?"

The mechanic pushed out on a back trolley and sat up.

Needless to say, Hephaestus was pretty misshapen.

He stood up, and in one hand, disassembled the spider. Two seconds later, he put it back together.

"There," he muttered. "Much better."

The spider did a happy flip in his palm, shot a metallic web at the ceiling, and went swinging away.

"Fascinating," I whispered, observing the spider.

Hephaestus gave me a curious look. "I didn't make you, did I?"

"Nah, Hermes did," I said bluntly.

I quickly covered my mouth.

He let out a loud laugh. "Good one. And good thing I didn't make any of you, it's shoddy workmanship. Half-bloods... could be automatons, of course, but probably not."

"We've met, sir," Percy said.

"Have we?" Hephaestus asked absently. "Well then, if I didn't smash you to a pulp the first time we met, I suppose I won't have to do it now."

He looked at me. "You. Lydia Castellan. You look exactly like Hermes. And with that joke you cracked... you're his kid."

I blinked. "Er— thanks."

Hephaestus looked at Grover. "Satyr." He turned to Tyson. "Well, a Cyclops. Good, good. What are you doing traveling with this lot?"

Tyson stared back. "Uh...."

"Yes, well said," Hephaestus agreed. "So, there'd better be a good reason why you're disturbing me. The suspension on this Corolla is no small matter, you know."

"Sir," Annabeth said hesitantly. "We're looking for Daedalus. We thought—"

"Daedalus?" Hephaestus roared. "You want that old scoundrel? You dare seek him out?!"

I became mildly afraid as his beard burst into flames and his eyes glowed.

"Um, yes sir— please," I stammered.

"Humph," he said. "You're wasting your time."

He limped toward his workable and picked up a lump of springs and meta plates. In a few seconds, he was holding a bronze and silver falcon. It spread its metal wings, blinked its obsidian eyes, and flew around the room.

I observed it as it flew to me. I giggled when it landed on my shoulder, and Tyson clapped with joy.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were my kid," Hephaestus said. "You seem to like all this stuff."

"It's really cool," I noted. "I like structures. The anatomy of things."

"Yeah... Hermes told me you illegally signed up for online Med school. Bold. What is it you want to be?"

"A neurosurgeon," I said nonchalantly.

"Innovative. I like it," he said.

I smirked, and the little falcon flew to Tyson. It landed on his shoulder and nipped his ear affectionately.

"I sense you have something to tell me, Cyclops," Hephaestus said.

Tyson's smile faded. "Y-Yes lord. We met a Hundred Handed One."

Hephaestus nodded. "Briares?"

"Yes. He was scared. He would not help us."

"And that bothered you."

"Yes!" Tyson's voice wavered. "Briares should be strong! He is older and greater than Cyclopes. But he ran away."

Hephaestus grunted. "There was a time I admired the Hundred Handed Ones. Back in the days of the first war. But people, monsters, even gods, change, young Cyclops. You can't trust 'em. Look at my loving mother, Hera. You met her, didn't you? She'll smile to your face and talk about how important family is, eh? Didn't stop her from pitching me off Mount Olympus when she saw my ugly face."

"But I thought Zeus did that to you," Percy said.

Hephaestus spat into a bronze spittoon. "Mother likes telling that version of the story. Makes her seem more likable, doesn't it? Blaming it all on my dad. The truth is, my mother likes families, but she likes a certain kind of family. Perfect families. She took one look at me and.... well, I don't fit the image, do I? Believe me, young Cyclops, you can't trust others. All you can trust is the work of your own hands."

He fixated his eyes on Percy. "Oh, this one doesn't like me. No worries, I'm used to that. What would you ask of me, little demigod?"

"We told you," Percy said. "We need to find Daedalus—"

I waved my hand to cut him off. "My lord, you know that my brother is working for Kronos. He's trying to find a way to navigate the Labyrinth so he can invade our camp. If we don't get to Daedalus first—"

"Don't be naive," Hephaestus said. "I told you, Daedalus is a waste of time. He won't help you."

"Why not?" Percy demanded.

Hephaestus shrugged. "Some of us get thrown off mountainsides. Some of us... the way we learn not to trust people is more painful. Ask me for gold. Or a flaming sword. Or a magical steed. These I can grant you easily. But a way to Daedalus? That's an expensive favor."

"You know where he is, then," Annabeth pressed.

"It isn't wise to go looking, girl."

"My mother says looking is the nature of wisdom."

Hephaestus narrowed his eyes. "Who's your mother, then?"

"Athena."

"Figures," he sighed. "Fine goddess, Athena. A shame she pledged never to marry. All right, half-blood. I can tell you what you want to know. But there is a price. I need a favor done."

"Name it," Annabeth said immediately.

Hephaestus laughed loudly. "You heroes. Always making rash promises. How refreshing!"

He pressed a button on his workbench, and metal shutters opened along the wall. A screen appeared, and soon we were looking at a gray mountain ringed in forests.

"Mount St. Helens," I blurted out, feeling a tingle inside my head. "Skamania County, Washington."

Hephaestus raised an eyebrow. "Very good. Haven't seen a Hermes kid with localization in a long, long time.... anyways, that there is one of my forges. I have many, but that used to be my favorite."

"Why used to?" I asked.

Hephaestus scratched his smoldering beard. "Well, that's where the monster Typhon is trapped, you know. Used to be under Mount Etna, but when we moved to America, his force got pinned under Mount St Helens instead. Great source of fire, but a bit dangerous. There's always a chance he will escape. Lots of eruptions these days, smoldering all the time. He's restless with the Titan rebellion."

"What do you want us to do?" Percy asked. "Fight him?"

Hephaestus snorted. "I've heard you and Little Castellan here are the greatest swordfighters in awhile, but that would be suicide. The gods themselves ran from Typhon when he was free. No, pray you never have to see him, much less fight him. But lately I have sensed intruders in my mountain. Someone or something is using my forges. When I go there, it is empty, but I can tell it's being used. They sense me coming and disappear. I send my automatons to investigate, but they do not return. Something... ancient is there. Evil. I want to know who dares invade my territory, and if they mean to loose Typhon."

"You want us to find out who it is," Percy deduced.

"Aye," Hephaestus said. "Go there. They may not sense you coming. You are not gods."

"Glad you noticed," I said with a wry smile.

Annabeth groaned when Percy high fived me.

Hephaestus rolled his eyes. "Go and find out what you can. Report back to me, and I will tell you what you need to know about Daedalus."

"All right," Annabeth said. "How do we get there?"

Hephaestus clapped his hands, and the metal spider came swinging from the rafters. "My creation will show you the way. It is not far through the Labyrinth. And try to stay alive, will you? Humans are much more fragile than automatons."

________

We were doing okay until we hit the tree roots. The spider raced along and we were keeping up, but then we spotted a tunnel off to the side that was dug from raw earth, and wrapped in thick roots. Grocer stopped dead in his tracks.

"What is it?" Percy asked.

Grover didn't move. He stared openmouthed into the dark tunnel. His curly hair rustled in the breeze.

"Come on!" Annabeth cried. "We have to keep moving!"

"This is the way," Grover muttered in awe. "This is it."

"What way?" Percy asked. "You mean... to Pan?"

Grover looked at Tyson. "Don't you smell it?"

"Dirt," Tyson agreed. "And plants."

"Yes! This is the way! I'm sure of it!"

Up ahead, the spider was getting farther down the stone corridor. A few more seconds and we'd lose it.

"We'll come back," Annabeth promised. "On our way back to Hephaestus."

"The tunnel will be gone by then," Grocer said. "I have to follow it. A door like this won't stay open!"

"But we can't!" Annabeth cried. "The forges!"

I could see she looked desperate, like she didn't understand it.

"I have to, Annabeth," Grover said sadly.

"We'll split up," I blurted out.

Percy and Grover looked delighted. Tyson looked shocked and Annabeth... almost looked angry.

"No!" She cried. "That's way too dangerous. How will we ever find each other again? And Grover can't go alone!"

Tyson put his hand on Grover's shoulder. "I—I will go with him."

"Tyson, are you sure?" Percy asked.

"Goat boy needs help," Tyson said. "We will find the god person. I am not like Hephaestus. I trust friends."

Grover took a dee breath. "Percy, we'll find each other again. We've still got the empathy link. I just... have to."

"Go," I said, touching Grover's hand. "You have to."

He smiled, and squeezed my hand. "Thank you, Lydia."

"Be careful," I said. "Please."

"I will be," he promised as Tyson hugged Percy.

Then he and Grover disappeared through the tunnel of tree roots and were lost in the darkness.

Annabeth looked annoyed with me. "This is bad. Splitting up is a really, really bad idea."

"He needed to do it, Annabeth," I said. "You know—"

"I don't know, Lydia," she hissed. "I don't know about this maze— and you just let them go off my themselves!"

"Just because I'm not a child of Athena doesn't mean I'm completely stupid, Annabeth," I snapped back. "I know the risks, and I know it's dangerous, but I also know this was the right thing to do—"

"You said it yourself, you're not a child of Athena! You're the most impulsive out of all of us, and you don't think before you do things—"

"You don't think I THINK before doing things?" I said sharply. "That's funny, because as I recall, I decided to stay here instead of joining Luke. I certainly do recall thinking before making that decision—"

"STOP!" Percy snapped. "Annabeth— Lydia— seriously. It's going to be fine. We've lost the spider now, and we'll have to find it."

Annabeth looked at me angrily, and I furiously grabbed her and Percy's hands.

"What?" Annabeth hissed.

"Do you want to get to the spider or not?" I snarled.

She looked away.

I concentrated, feeling a familiar tug in my gut as I pinpointed the spider's location.

It was passing right under Fargo, North Dakota.

I heard Annabeth and Percy yell loudly into my ears as I teleported us all to land in the maze right behind the spider.

Annabeth screamed and leapt back as the spider kept going in front of us.

I let go of her and Percy's hand, and angrily thrust my hands into my pockets, following the spider closely.

I let Percy and Annabeth walk behind me. I could hear them talking, but I didn't try to listen in.

After about another half mile, we emerged in a cavern the size of a Super Bowl stadium. Our spider escort stopped and curled into a ball.

There was no floor in the forge. Just bubbling lava hundreds of feet below. We stood on a rock ridge that circled the cavern. A network of metal bridges spanned across it. At the center was a huge platform with all sorts of machines, cauldrons, forges, and an enormous anvil. Creatures moved around the platform. Familiar, but I couldn't really tell what they were.

Annabeth picked up the metal spider and slipped it into her pocket. "I can wait here."

"Hold it!" Percy said. But she simply put on her Yankees cap and turned invisible.

Percy gulped and I sighed, waving for him to follow me down another tunnel.

"She didn't mean to get so mad," he said quietly as we crept down, our sword raised.

"Yeah, whatever," I muttered.

"Lydia, she's just stressed..."

"Percy please just ask her out already so she can calm down..."

He let out a nervous laugh. "W-What?"

"Oh please it's obvious you two like each other," I said. "Just ask her out."

"O-Ok," he stammered, looking shocked. "Er— can we look over there?"

I nodded and we moved toward the edge of the path. My eyes stung from all the smoke.

Unfortunately, our path to look over the edge was blocked by a cart on metal wheels.

I was just about to lead Percy around when we heard voices.

"Bring it in?" One asked.

"Yeah. Movie's just about done."

Percy looked panicked. He dove into the cart and I had no choice but to follow him in.

"This is really uncomfortable," I mumbled, feeling Slasher pressed against my scarred cheek.

"I know," Percy hissed sheepishly.

The cart lurched forward.

"Oi," a gruff voice said. "Thing weighs a ton."

"It's celestial bronze. What did you expect?"

The cart was wheeled into a smaller room, with an old fashioned projector showing a movie.

"Just set it in the back," an older sounding voice said. "Now younglings, please attend to the film. There will be time for questions afterward."

The voices quieted.

"As a young sea demon matures," the narrator of the film said, "changes happen in the monster's body. You may notice your fangs getting longer and you may have a sudden desire to devour human beings. These changes are perfectly normal and happen to all young monsters."

Excited snarling filled the room.

"Sea demons," I whispered, furrowing my eyebrows. "I swear I've heard of— telkhines!"

Percy raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"You'll see," I mumbled.

The film kept talking about growth spurts and acne problems caused by working in the forges, and proper flipped hygiene.

So the monsters were using Mount St Helens to teach younglings about puberty. Wonderful.

"Now, younglings," the instructor said, once the film ended. "What is the proper name of our kind?"

"Sea demons!" One of them barked.

"No. Anyone else?"

"Telkhines," another growled.

"Very good! And why are we here?"

"Revenge!" Several shouted.

"Yes, yes, but why?"

"Zeus is evil!" One said. "He cast us into Tartarus just because we used magic!"

"Indeed," the instructor said. "After we made so many of the gods finest weapons. The trident of Poseidon, for one. And of course— we made the greatest weapon of the Titans! Nevertheless, Zeus cast us away and relied on those fumbling Cyclopes. That is why we are taking over the forges of the usurper Hephaestus. And soon we will control the undersea furnaces, our ancestral home!"

"What?" Percy mouthed.

"They're really ancient," I whispered. "I have never seen one before."

"And so, younglings," the instructor continued. "Who do you serve?"

"Kronos!" They shouted.

"And when you grow to be big telkhines, will you make weapons for the army?"

"Yes!"

"Excellent. Now, we've brought in some scraps for you to practice with. Lets see how ingenious you are."

There was a rush of movement as they ran up to the cart Percy and I happened to be hiding behind.

The tarp was thrown back, and we leapt up, our swords raised.

"Demigods!" One snarled.

"Eat them!" another yelled.

But that's as far as they got. Percy slashed Riptide and vaporized the first line, and I leapt onto the cart and cut Slasher through the air, vaporizing the second row.

"Back off!" Percy yelled. "New lesson, class. Most monsters will vaporize when sliced with celestial bronze swords. This change is perfectly normal, and will happen to you right now if you don't BACK OFF."

Surprisingly it worked. The monsters backed up, but since there was at least twenty of them and only two of us, I doubted the fear factor would last much longer.

"CLASS DISMISSED!" Percy yelled as he jumped out of the cart and bolted for the exit.

"That's your plan?" I screamed, cutting Slasher across another line of telkhines before sprinting after him.

"Yes!" He yelled. Once I'd made it out the door, he slammed it shut and turned the wheel on it to lock it.

"That's not going to last long— we have to find Annabeth!" I hissed.

"Good idea," Percy said, running down another tunnel. "Annabeth—"

"Shh!"

An invisible hand clapped over our mouths, making me stumble down.

"You want to get us killed?" She hissed, removing her cap. Her face was covered in ash and grime. "What is your problem?"

"We're going to have company," I said.

Percy quickly explained what we'd seen in the other room, and her eyes widened.

"Telkhines," she whispered. "I should have known. And they're making... well, look."

We peeked over the cauldron we crouched behind. In the center of the platform stood four sea demons. These were fully grown— eight fucking feet tall.

They were taking turns hammering on a long piece of glowing hot metal.

"They keep talking about fusing metals," Annabeth muttered. "I wonder—"

"They were talking about the greatest Titan weapon," I said. "And they... they said they made Poseidon's trident."

"The telkhines betrayed the gods," Annabeth said. "They were practicing dark magic. I don't know what, exactly, but Zeus banished them to Tartarus."

"With Kronos," I muttered. "I have a bad feeling they're making him a weapon—"

The classroom door exploded, and young telkhines came pouring out. They stumbled over each other, trying to figure out which way to charge.

"Put your cap back on and get out," Percy said, trembling slightly. He put his hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "Now."

"What?" Annabeth shrieked. "No, I'm not leaving you!"

"I-I've got a plan," Percy said. "I'll distract them. You can use the metal spider— maybe it'll lead you back to Hephaestus. You have to tell him what's going on."

He turned to me. "You should go with her. Run out as soon as she does and teleport to her."

"Percy that's absurd, we're not just going to leave you!" I cried.

"You'll be killed!" Annabeth said softly.

"I'll be fine," he reassured her. "Besides, we've got no choice."

Annabeth looked at me and I winced. She then turned to Percy, grabbed his face, and kissed him.

Fucking finally.

"Be careful, Seaweed Brain," she said quietly. She turned to me. "Wait here for a bit to distract them and then come find me."

I nodded as she put her cap on and vanished.

Percy looked stunned.

"Hello!" I shrieked. "Telkhines approaching!"

He seemed to be afraid. Like he definitely didn't have a plan.

I realized I probably wouldn't be able to leave.

"Damn it, Percy!" I hissed.

I leapt over the cauldron and landed in front of the telkhines, whirling Slasher around and slicing it across every line of younglings that was heading our way.

I could hear Percy had begun to fight behind me, with some of the older telkhines that'd been working in the lower forges.

"Lydia!" Percy bellowed. "Get out! Now!"

"Are you sure?" I screamed, vaporizing two full sized telkhines in one swipe of my sword.

"Yes! And run as fast as you can! I'll be okay!" He said.

I could see in his eyes he wasn't sure.

"Percy—"

"LYDIA— YOU HAVE TO GO, NOW!"

I cursed loudly, and cut one last telkhine before sprinting out the way Annabeth had gone.

I had just reached the door to re-enter the maze when I heard an explosion behind me.

It was probably a bad idea to turn around, because seconds later my body flew into the air, and then slammed back into pavement, where I promptly blacked out after realizing I couldn't feel anything below my waist.


	10. I Wish I Was In Grey's Anatomy

I don't think doctors understand that sticking a bunch of needles into you and leaving a shitton of tubes by your bedside is a perfectly reason for a person to freak out upon awakening from surgery, especially when that person has been in a medically induced coma for a week.

Apparently I'm 'disruptive' and 'disrespectful' for yelling for a nurse when I woke up.

"You had absolutely no reason to yell," the female doctor with the bad bun and sloppy makeup said. "Your airway wasn't obstructed and you admitted to not feeling pain."

"Funny, you'd think I would know if my airway wasn't obstructed," I snapped. "I had reason. I had to leave."

"What are you, fifteen?" The doctor hissed back. "We weren't just going to let you walk out five days post-op from spinal surgery. And you can't keep yelling for the nurse to give you release papers every five minutes."

"It's every eight and a half minutes, for your information, and it's in time with the insulin drip you're giving me," I snarled.

The doctor looked mildly taken aback. "How did you know it was an insulin drip?"

"Because I looked at my chart, duh," I said. "You noticed elevated levels of sugar in me. It's only because of the surgery, I'm likely allergic to the medication you used to preserve the concentration of fluid in my spinal cord— the only reason I'm not dead and didn't show signs of an allergic reaction is the special blood I have."

The doctor adjusted her glasses, looking surprised I knew any of it. "Special blood?"

Godly blood, is what I meant.

"Please just let me leave," I insisted, dodging her question. "I don't have anyone. My mother is disabled and lives in Connecticut and as I told the stupid intern— who, for your information, cannot put an IV in for shit— my father is highly unavailable."

"What do you mean by disabled?"

"Schizophrenic, you could say," I said under my breath. "Dementia. I don't know exactly."

"And your father?"

"He's... a thief."

"So, in prison?"

I bit my lip. Technically with Zeus as a father, Olympus would feel like a prison.

"You could say that," I replied smoothly.

"You have no other relatives?"

"A brother, but he and I aren't exactly on speaking terms," I muttered.

"Where is he?"

"San Francisco. Or maybe Arizona again. South Carolina, for all I know. Hopefully not Washington."

The doctor was taking notes.

"I need to leave," I said.

"Well, you can't," the doctor said. "Now tell me, what is this you're saying about special blood?"

"Don't get all excited, I'm not Rh-Null," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Oh, I know. We tested it. You're AB negative, which is another very rare type. I know you mean something else by special."

I crossed my arms, not wanting to explain it to her.

Curse Chiron for teaching Thalia and not me how to manipulate the Mist.

The doctor shifted uncomfortably. "There are many things about you that make us uncertain, Lydia. For example, you have several scars all across your body that are very suspicious. You had a particularly fresh scar on your back and poison residue inside your bowel. You know a lot about medicine, as you put in your own IV after Dr. Marcelo—"

"—the stupid intern—"

"—Dr. Marcelo, couldn't do it properly. You analyzed your own chart, and I KNOW you're the one who adjusted the brace. How you got it to a better angle to heal you is beyond my knowledge... and what's more, you can't give me any solid statement about where your family is. What is going on with you?"

I couldn't possibly just tell her everything.

"Who are you, anyway?" I asked.

"You didn't address my concerns."

"You didn't answer my questions. As far as I know, you're not even my doctor."

She rolled her eyes. "Dr. Amanda Jeter. MD. Pediatric Neurologist."

"Lydia Castellan," I said, reaching my hand out to her. "Future Neurosurgeon."

She raised an eyebrow. "Interesting."

I could tell she was unsure what to tell me.

"I read a lot of medical textbooks," I said. Not a lie, just not the whole truth. "I get into fights a lot. Please just let me leave."

"We can't just let you leave, Lydia," she said. "I doubt you can even walk."

I threw off my blanket and felt around my sides.

My fingers stopped over my brace.

"Don't remove it!" Dr. Jeter cried.

"Do I look stupid?" I asked dully, rolling my eyes and slipping my fingers under the brace. I winced in slight pain.

"See? You aren't well enough to leave," she said.

"So?" I asked. "I'll make myself well enough."

Chiron would have punished me for this, but I had to.

I pressed my hands over my stomach and drew a deep breath, and focused.

Dr. Jeter gasped loudly as my hands began to glow, and she staggered back.

When the glowing stopped, I ripped the brace off.

"Lydia!" She cried when I stood up.

I ignored her cries and ripped the gown off me, and changed back into my clothes.

"Young lady I need you back in bed this instant—"

I flicked my knife out and she stepped back.

"Put that away," she said in a shaky voice. "Put the g-gun down, Lydia..."

Gun? Goddamnit.

I hissed and shoved the knife back into its case, and brushed past her, sprinting out into the hall.

"STOP HER!" Dr. Jeter screamed.

I ran into the elevator and slammed the button to shut the doors.

"Come on," I muttered, twitching my fingers around my sword, which had conveniently stayed in its pouch on my pants. "Come on..."

The location snapped into my head immediately.

"Virginia Mason Hospital and Seattle Medical Center," I murmured. "Seattle, Washington."

Not at all like Grey's Anatomy.

Wish I'd ran into McDreamy instead of Dr. Jeter.

I stretched my hands out beside me as the elevator continued to descend.

Where could I even teleport to? I couldn't possibly make it all the way to Camp Half-Blood.

I needed to find out what the hell had happened. Somehow I'd survived a blast from Skamania County to Seattle. That was nearly 155 miles. I must have gotten lucky, being outside the main explosion area.

What I wondered was if Percy was even still alive.

How could he have survived that?

I didn't want to consider it, but I had to know more.

When the elevator doors opened, I sprinted out into the main waiting area and bolted out the doors as security guards ran behind me.

I ran southeast on Boren Avenue and didn't stop running til I found a CVS on Madison Avenue— which wasn't too far from the hospital, but far enough so they wouldn't find me too soon.

I searched through my pockets and extracted exactly $24.34 to use to buy some canned food, new underwear, and a set of dark blue scrubs.

Perhaps being in Seattle really got me in a doctor mood.

But to be honest I also didn't fancy walking around in a burned Camp Half-Blood shirt and scorched jeans with a hole in the thigh.

I snuck behind the CVS and had a nice lonely meal of corn and vegetables while I heard sirens blaring around.

They might be for me. At this point it didn't matter anymore.

When I finished my 'dinner' or whatever you want to call it (I have no idea what time it is), I stood up and casually walked down the rest of Boren Avenue past several medical buildings.

Would I even be able to talk to my dad if I tried? Would I need to go in a special place? Hermes was essentially the god of medicine but I had no idea if his presence lingered at any of the medical centers I saw.

My fingers twitched again, and I cursed. I didn't know where the hell to teleport to, I didn't even know if I could. Despite having healed myself I felt weak and drained.

Eventually I wandered into another alleyway, and decided that I should stay here for the night, then formulate a plan in the morning.

The sounds of Seattle weren't exactly the best things to lull someone to sleep, but they worked all the same.

Unfortunately Seattle also has an aura for nightmares.

I was suddenly not in the alleyway anymore. I was back in the palace I'd been in with Luke last time.

He and Ethan were gathered again.

Luke looked sick. As if he was growing weaker. This was strange, since his muscles looked as toned as ever. Almost as if he was carrying another's sickness.

Ethan looked... healthier. He was taller. His hair had grown out the way I told him that I liked it. He looked like he'd been working out a lot more, and he looked more mature.

Attractive.

Problematic.

"It is all good progress," Luke announced. "We are nearly ready."

He paced back and forth. "I consulted some sources regarding the explosion of Mount St. Helens. Apparently Jackson and the girl were at the scene. Seems... they are both missing. Some have presumed them dead. The dracaenae have seen Camp Half-Blood campers out on pegasi looking for them. No result."

Ethan looked up, and his eyes flickered dangerously. He looked almost sad. "Are they dead?"

"We can't jump to conclusions too soon," Luke warned. "As far as anyone knows, they are. But I am unsure. Unless their bodies are found, I refuse to believe it."

"So the plan is still on, then?" Ethan asked slowly. "To get her on our side?"

Luke pursed his lips and crossed his arms, facing away from Ethan. "That is still the plan, yes. If she is alive, she will be damaged. You will go out and look for her in the surrounding area of Washington. If you find her, treat her kindly. Nurse her back to health— whatever is necessary."

"She can heal herself," Ethan noted.

Luke snapped his head in his direction. "Did I ask you if she could heal herself, Lieutenant Nakamura?"

"No, my lord." Ethan said quickly. "I was merely saying because she may be in perfect health."

"And what does that matter to you? The point is for you to bring her."

Ethan looked down. "My lord, I KNOW her. She'll likely heal herself. She'll be in a normal state of mind. It'll be more difficult to trick her—"

He faltered when he saw Luke's face twitch.

"Is that hesitation, I hear, Lieutenant?"

"N-Not at all, my lord—"

Luke seized Ethan by the throat, and the latter gasped for air.

"Stick with the plan," Luke snarled. "She's a stupid, lovesick girl. She'll fall for it."

Ethan wheezed, and I could see he was shaking his head.

Luke dropped him harshly. "Something else to say?"

"S-She— i-isn't—"

Luke kicked his side, and Ethan yelled loudly, some blood spilling out his side.

Luke must've reopened an injury.

"Is this task too difficult for you, Lieutenant?" Luke yelled. "Are YOU the lovesick one? Do you not wish to serve Kronos? Does it conflict with your interests in that girl? Is this you telling me you'll be unable to do this simple task because your own feelings will get in the way?"

"No!" Ethan gasped, slowly getting up. "I-It's not that— it—it'll be hard to convince her either way— she probably hates me—"

"You sound like a stupid teenager," Luke said sharply. "Perhaps you're not the warrior you pretend to me."

Ethan drew a deep breath.

"Look for her," Luke snapped. "Find her. Entice her. Bring her to me. Either she joins us or she dies. Simple."

Ethan nodded, and stepped back, bowing to Luke before leaving.

The dream dissolved, and I woke up to someone shaking my shoulders.

I swiped my leg out, and heard a loud grunt of pain.

I opened my eyes and saw a brown haired boy standing over me.

"Who the fuck are you?" I snapped, standing up.

The boy raised an eyebrow, and I flinched.

His features were similar to my own, and those of my brothers and sisters. The upturned eyebrows, a sharp nose, mischievous look.

"Dad?" I muttered.

He nodded. "Had to appear in disguise. Apparently you've caused quite a racket."

"Oh please," I said. "Runaway patient isn't that serious. They should do something useful, like pass a bill to make pads and tampons free or something."

He chuckled and sat beside me. "You chose not to try to teleport anywhere."

"I feel weak," I said. "Last time I got stranded."

He nodded. "That's fair. I noticed you actually bought some stuff. Why not just steal?"

I raised my eyebrow. "Dad, I'm not going to steal EVERYTIME I go to the store. I'd become Travis and Connor."

"I suppose you've always been different than my other children," he said.

Anyone eavesdropping would have thought that statement was incredibly bizarre, especially when seeing my father looked like a 14 year old.

"You don't actually need my help, do you?" He inquired. "You know what to do. You just don't trust yourself because you're hurt."

I shrugged. "Maybe. But you can also give me information."

Hermes mimicked my shrug. "No, I don't know where Percy Jackson is. Yes, the explosion was massive and you two caused QUITE a problem. That's all I can truly tell you. And oh, you're perfectly well to teleport if you wish. But feel free to hitchhike to Camp."

I blew air out of my mouth and leaned back on the alley wall.

"Ah," he said. "You're conflicted. THAT is why you wanted to see me."

"No," I said a bit too quickly.

"Your dreams are making you wonder," he said. "You think the reason you haven't started your path back to Camp is because you need time to heal. No. I think you're just wondering if you want to go back."

"Of course I want to go back."

"But Luke is not there. Neither is Ethan. Poor Chris is so close to Death even I can sense it. You hate it there. You have for a long time."

"If you knew that then why didn't you ever do anything?" I muttered.

He looked at me sadly. "I don't interfere in such things, Lydia. It's normal for you to be wondering whether you should join him or not."

"I'm not wondering that!" I cried.

Hermes raised an eyebrow, just how Luke always used to when he knew I was lying.

I bit my lip. "I'm not going to join him."

"I'm not saying you will," my dad replied. "I'm saying you're considering it. You're not the only one Lydia. And for you it's considerably more difficult, what with Luke and Ethan both being there..."

I looked away. I hated the gods' ability to figure out what was on your mind.

He wasn't wrong. I had considered it, though I'd never reveal that to anyone.

If I joined I could have my brother at my side. I could see Ethan again.

But I knew the benefits of joining didn't outweigh the detriments. I would never fight against Camp Half-Blood and the rest of my siblings and Percy and Annabeth.

"You should return," Hermes said. "As soon as you can. Before Ethan finds you."

I stood slowly and drew my knife, looking at my own reflection.

The scar on my cheek was the most striking feature.

Luke didn't care. He wouldn't want a relationship with me if I joined him.

I wasn't his sister anymore. Just 'the girl' Ethan was supposed to try and win over for her skills.

"Okay," I said, licking my lips. "Okay..."

I looked up and saw the boy's face had melted off my father, and he now resembled the same Hermes I'd seen last winter on Olympus.

The brown streaks in my hair were the same shade as his. He, Luke, and I shared a distinct face shape. Luke looked so much like him, it was almost infuriating.

"Thanks, Dad," I said softly.

He pulled me into his arms, pressing my head on his chest. "I'm sorry," he mumbled softly.

He vanished.

I staggered back as my awkward hug with the now empty space before me ended.

I sighed loudly, and closed my eyes, holding my knife tightly.

What the heck, I thought?

Camp Half-Blood, Long Island Sound.

_________

Once I regained consciousness from the enormous leap I'd made across the country, Annabeth rushed over to my bed.

"I thought you were dead!" She said, tears prevalent in her eyes.

"I'm okay," I said simply.

She was definitely not mad at me anymore.

"You weren't with Percy?" She asked softly.

"No," I said. "I'm sorry. My dad didn't even know where he was."

She faltered. "Oh... okay."

She sat back, her mouth quivering. "I-It's been a week. Where is he... where...."

I put my hand on her shoulder. "He's alive. I don't think he is."

She didnt seem to believe me.

I spent the next week confined in the infirmary. Lee Fletcher, Michael Yew, and their new brother, Will Solace, were in charge of my wellbeing, although they were making me get annoyed with how long they wanted me to stay in bed.

"Michael I'm all better, this is ANNOYING," I hissed.

"Lee says you have to stay here for at least one more day," he said. "You aren't fully healed."

"Yes I am, you're just trying to be annoying."

"Oh shut up, you're the annoying one. Bitching day and night as if you know what you're talking about—"

"I'M in Med School and YOU'RE not, Michael—"

"Oh kiss my quiver, Princess, if you really paid attention you'd know you need more rest—"

"Don't you dare call me that and don't pretend you haven't read all the studied that confirm a patient would be already off bedrest to induce faster healing!"

Michael rolled his eyes and walked away, leaving me with young Will.

He was about the same age as Nico di Angelo. His tan face twisted into a grimace.

"He cares, you know," he said timidly. "Just has a bad temper."

"So do I," I said. "Come on, Lee knows I'm fine he's just insecure because of everything that's going on."

"Well, can you blame him?" Will asked. "What with Percy not having been found yet, it's... stressful around here. And with the attack coming up..."

He faltered. I bet the first thing he found out about me from the others was that I'm fully related to Luke.

"Yeah," I sighed. "But he's so... extra."

"Think of it as a chance for you to keep getting ice cream for dinner," he said sweetly. "Ice cream is cool."

I raised an eyebrow at the thirteen year old. "I'm lactose intolerant."

He blinked. "But—"

"It's a joke, Will."

He smiled a bit. "Okay... well... feel better."

He waved and left, and I was once again by myself.

That night I dreamt about Ethan again, but this time he wasn't with Luke.

He was with Dr. Jeter.

"So you claim to know Lydia Castellan?" Dr. Jeter asked, her hair once again in a tight bun as she led Ethan from the lobby to her office.

"She's my er— my friend," he said. "We met at summer camp."

"Interesting," Dr. Jeter said, sitting at her desk and rummaging through some papers. "And you've just now arrived?"

"I just found out where she was in general," he said. "I'm er— I work with her brother, and he was worried, you see, and when I was watching the news I saw her picture and came straight here."

"Her brother?" Dr. Jeter asked, blinking rapidly. "She said they weren't on speaking terms."

Ethan swallowed visibly. "They're not, but he still cares, you know? He er— he hates their father and she doesn't, and it caused... tension."

That's one way to put it.

"The father that's... in prison?"

"On death row," Ethan lied smoothly. "Lydia was... attempting to get him pardoned. Luke wasn't in favor and they... got into a fight."

Dr. Jeter seemed quite amused. "Well then... that explains a bit more why she acted so suspicious. You wouldn't happen to know why her hands glow, do you?"

Ethan faltered. "Hands... glow?"

"Or perhaps why she claims to have special blood?"

He bit his lip. "Well... that's.... it's not really my job to say...."

"Is she a demigod?"

My heart stopped beating, and I sensed Ethan's did too.

"W-What made you think that?" He stammered.

"I saw her sword. And the knives. The nurses told me it looked like a gun when we first looked through her clothes, so I realized... something was off. And I've heard... of demigods. And stuff happening. Something called the Mist. I seem to be able to see through it— whatever it is. Lydia isn't the first demigod that's landed in this hospital. I treated a son of Aphrodite here once. He told me himself after I asked him why he simply wouldn't stop flirting with the nurses."

Ethan shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah... Lydia is a demigod. Her father is Hermes."

"A thief," Dr. Jeter noted. She smirked. "Brilliant. That explains... her medical knowledge."

"Yeah, she's brilliant," Ethan said without hesitation.

He then cleared his throat awkwardly.

"So the special blood... it means godly blood, right? And the healing powers are because of her father?"

"Yeah," Ethan said. "It is... they are... yeah..."

Dr. Jeter clasped her hands together. "Brilliant... wow.... could you perhaps get her back here? To examine her?"

Ethan shook his head. "That won't happen. She won't come."

Dr. Jeter sighed. "Fine. Well— what did you come here for? Just to see her?"

"To see if you had a lead on her location. Ask... how far she could have gotten given the surgery," he asked. "Her brother and I are trying to find her."

"Her brother is also a son of Hermes?"

"Yes," Ethan said, looking uncomfortable. "We just need to know."

"Well a week downtime was enough for her to heal. And if her healing powers worked— as I assume they did, given that she sprinted out— she's definitely strong enough to get wherever she needs to go. She is off our radar though, since four days ago."

"What?" Ethan asked. "And you didn't mention this on the news?"

"We're still looking," she said. "The police noted that she stopped by a CVS after escaping, and some cameras near an alleyway caught her walking in, and then talking to a boy. Then they both disappeared. Never were shown exiting the alley."

Ethan cursed in Greek. "She teleported. She must have gone back..."

Dr. Jeter looked even more interested. "Tell me more. Back where? Why do you guys want her? Is her brother actually worried?"

Ethan stood up. "Don't be a nosy mortal. You already know too much. That's all I need from you."

Dr. Jeter was taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"If you know what's good for you, you won't tell anyone what we discussed," he said. "You won't reveal to anyone that you know Luke and Lydia Castellan are demigod children of Hermes. You will stop the search. She's long gone, you're wasting your time trying to find her."

Dr. Jeter gulped. "A-Alright."

I almost felt bad for her. Ethan was being bitchy all of the sudden.

He turned to leave.

"One more question," she asked timidly.

He stopped. "What?"

"Whose child are you?"

His eyes glinted black. "Nemesis. Goddess of retribution and vengeance. I notice that you have had a lot of good things happen to you. Not a lot of bad. My mother prides herself on balance as well, mortal. If you breathe a word of this to anyone, the bad will come and reform that balance..."

Dr. Jeter nodded quickly as Ethan slipped out.

That just made my heart leap.

He was hot when he was mad.

When he sprinted down Boren Avenue to the same alleyway I'd been in and started an Iris message, I half expected him to tell Luke I was back at Camp and alive.

"Nothing," he said when Luke's image appeared. "They have no idea where she is. But she was here. There is no way she was strong enough to teleport, the doctor told me so."

"Probably dead then," Luke huffed, looking pleased. "Well done, Lieutenant. You may return."

Ethan swiped his hand across the Iris message to end it, then drew a deep breath.

"I swear to the gods, Lydia," he murmured softly. "You better be okay, dummy."


	11. Annabeth Hates My Girlfriend

The next day was supposed to be Percy's funeral.

I didn't tell anyone what I'd dreamed.

No one needed to know Ethan had lied to Luke to make it seem like I wasn't alive.

It wasn't their problem.

To be honest, I still got incredibly sad when the funeral started, even though I had a gut feeling Percy wasn't dead.

"My dear campers," Chiron said, looking sadly around the amphitheater. "As you know, two weeks ago Lydia Castellan and Percy Jackson were at the scene of the explosion of Mount St. Helens. A week passed before Lydia returned, in bad condition. We have searched for Percy all across the country. At this point we unfortunately must assume he is dead. After so long a silence, it is unlikely out prayers will be answered. I have asked his best surviving friends to do the final honor."

Annabeth, her eyes puffy from crying, stood up, and walked onto the stage. I followed her, carrying the greek silk burial cloth embroidered with a trident.

When I reached her side, she took hold, and shivering, helped me toss it into the flames.

Annabeth cleared her throat. "H-He was probably the bravest friend I've ever had," she said. "He...." she looked up, and her face reddened. "He's right there!"

I snapped my gaze up to where she was staring, and saw a wide eyed Percy standing in the back.

"Percy!" Beckendorf grinned.

Several of my siblings, Annabeth's, and the other campers crowded him immediately and clapped him on the back. Some of the Ares kids cursed, and Clarisse rolled her eyes.

Chiron huffed and cantered over. Everyone parted way for him.

"I can't believe," Annabeth whispered hoarsely, striding down to where Percy was. I followed her, seeing her fists were balled up.

"Well!" Chiron sighed in relief. "I don't believe I've ever been happier to see a camper return. But you must tell me—"

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Annabeth screeched, pushing past the other campers. I awkwardly waved at Percy as Annabeth furiously threw her arms around him and pulled him into such a tight hug, I heard his back crack.

The other campers fell silent, and I coughed.

Annabeth quickly pulled away. "I— we thought you were dead, Seaweed Brain."

"For the record, I didn't," I piped up.

Percy half smiled. "I'm sorry," he told Annabeth. "I got lost."

"LOST?" She yelled. "For two weeks, Percy? Where in the world—"

"Annabeth," I said in a sing song voice, pulling her back. "Maybe we can finish this conversation elsewhere."

"Indeed," Chiron agreed. "The rest of you— back to your normal activities!"

Without waiting for Percy or Annabeth to protest, Chiron scooped them up and put them on his back, before galloping to the Big House, leaving me to run beside him with ease.

"I see you're all healed, Lydia," Chiron said once we arrived and he'd set Percy and Annabeth down.

"Yeah, I've been healed," I said, plopping down on the couch.

Annabeth weakly sat beside me, and Percy wrung his hands together, pacing back and forth as he described causing the explosion, ending up marooned on an island, talking to Hephaestus, then returning on a magical raft.

He looked nervous as he said it, and I could tell it wasn't the full story.

"You've been gone two weeks," Annabeth said, her voice much steadier now. "When I heard the explosion, I thought you were both dead. When Lydia came back after a week... I just..."

"I know," Percy said gently. "And I'm sorry. But I figured out how to get through the Labyrinth when I talked to Hephaestus."

"He told you the answer?" I asked.

"Well, he sort of told me I already knew. And I do. I understand now."

He briefly explained what he called 'his plan' and Annabeth and I's mouths promptly dropped open.

"Percy, that's crazy!" Annabeth exclaimed.

Chiron sat back in his wheelchair and stroked his beard. "There is precedent, however. Theseus had the help of Ariadne. Harriet Tubman, Lydia's half sister, used many mortals on her Underground Railroad for just this reason."

"Hold on," I said before Annabeth retorted. "I'm related to Harriet Tubman?"

"Yes, I thought I told you this," Chiron said.

"No, you didn't," I said, feeling unexplainably excited. I was related to one of the most incredible historical figures and I had never known.

"This is my quest!" Annabeth cried, once she'd seen I was done making my point. "I need to lead it."

Chiron looked uncomfortably at her. "My dear, it is your quest. But you need help."

"And this is supposed to help? Please! It's wrong, it's cowardly, it's—"

"Hard to admit we need a mortal's help, but it's true," Percy finished.

Annabeth glared at him furiously. "You are the single most annoying person I have ever met!"

She then stormed away.

"Ah, so much for being the bravest friend she's ever had," he said, his jaw tight.

"She missed you, dummy," I said. "And she's jealous."

"Jealous?" Percy cried.

"Well," I said, "it's Rachel we're talking about. And of course, 'magical rafts' don't just appear out of nowhere. You met Calypso."

Percy looked like he'd been slapped in the face when Chiron offered me a high five.

"She's very territorial of her friends, in case you haven't noticed," Chiron said. "And she was worried. We won't dwell on your choices. You came back. That is what matters."

"Tell that to Annabeth," Percy muttered.

Chiron smiled. "In the morning I'll have Argus take you three to Manhattan. You might stop by your mother's, Percy. She is... understandably distraught."

Percy looked sick to his stomach.

"Chiron," he said. "What about Grover and Tyson? Do you think—?"

"I don't know, my boy," Chiron said sadly. "Juniper is also quite distressed. All her branches are turning yellow. The Council of Cloven Elders had revoked Grover's searcher license in absentia. Assuming he comes back alive, they will force him into a shameful exile." He paused. "Grover and Tyson are resourceful, however. We can still hope."

Percy looked at me and I winced. "I-I shouldn't have encouraged them to go."

"It isn't your fault, Lydia," Chiron said. "Grover has his own destiny, and Tyson was brave to follow him. And Percy would know if Grover was in mortal danger, don't you think?"

"I suppose," Percy said. "The empathy link."

There was brief silence.

"Now," Chiron said. "There are two unpleasant things I must tell you both..." he turned to me. "Chris had grown much worse. He's in a private room of the infirmary as of last night, when you were asleep. He's too weak to move. I had to order Clarisse back to her regular schedule, because she was at his bedside constantly. He doesn't respond to anything. Won't take food or drink. None of my medicines help. He has simply lost the will to live."

I drew a deep breath and shuddered, nodding slowly.

Percy grimaced, and bit his lip. "And the other unpleasant thing?"

"Quintus has disappeared," Chiron said.

"I knew that guy was sketchy," I muttered as Percy covered his face.

Chiron nodded slowly. "Well... I suggest you both try and get some rest. You will need it."

He stepped out of his wheelchair and trotted out.

Percy sat next to me, looking like he might pass out.

I put my hand on his forehead and hummed softly, concentrating. They glowed for an instant, and he breathed out deeply.

"Thanks," he whispered.

"Tell me about Calypso," I said.

Percy pulled out a small plant from his pocket. "She gave me this. I... I'm going to plant it, eventually."

He looked away. "I considered staying."

"I considered joining Luke and Ethan," I admitted.

Percy squeezed his eyes shut. "Why... why is being a demigod so dam hard?"

"Dam," I repeated, laughing softly.

Percy's lips twitched, and then he shook his head.

"We'll survive this," I said. "It's going to be okay. It's hard because we simply aren't normal. That's the most straightforward answer I can give you. The choices... suck. But we will make it through. You and Annabeth will get to become boyfriend and girlfriend. I'll... make Ethan forget Luke. And I'll kiss him."

Percy looked back at me. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," I confirmed. "By this time next year. You and Annabeth will be dating, and so will Ethan and I. Deal?"

Percy smiled. "Deal."

___________

Saturday morning traffic fucking sucks when you're a twitchy, highly ADHD kid that can see the mechanics inside of things. Thanks dad, for being so much like Hephaestus.

The entire ride, I let Percy and Annabeth talk amongst themselves while I scanned the interior of the car, learning the mechanics of it.

Not a human, but still interesting.

We arrived at Sally Jackson's apartment around noon. When she answered the door, she hugged Percy immediately.

"I told them you were all right," she breathed as she yanked us inside. "Hello Annabeth, Lydia."

"Ms. Jackson," I said with a smile.

She gave me a tight hug, and I felt the air be squeezed forcefully out of my lungs. But I didn't mind.

Sally later sat us down at the kitchen table and insisted on feeding us her special blue cookies while we explained the quest. They were really frickin' good.

I could tell Percy was making it sound a little less scary, but it was really hard to do that considering what we'd been through.

When he got to the part about Geryon and his stables, I swore Sally might strangle Percy.

"I can't get him to clean his room, but he'll clean a hundred tons of horse manure out of some monster's stable?" She sighed.

Annabeth and I both snorted loudly.

I would die for Sally Jackson.

"So," she said, once Percy had finished explaining. "You wrecked Alcatraz Island, made Mount St. Helens explode, and displaced half a million people, but at least you're safe."

At least she was looking at the bright side.

"Yep," Percy agreed. "That pretty much covers it."

"I wish Paul were here," she sighed. "He wanted to talk to you."

"Oh right," Percy said. "The school."

I'd almost forgotten about the dramatic entrance Percy had made to Goode high school. What a stud, blowing up the band hall. A true icon.

"What did you tell him?" He asked.

Sally shook her head. "What could I say? He knows something is different about you, Percy. He's a smart man. He believes that you're not a bad person. He doesn't know what's going on, but the school's pressuring him. After all, he got you admitted there. He needs to convince them the fire wasn't your fault. And since you ran away, that looks bad."

I winced. Life as a half-blood was never easy.

"I could falsify a report that the band room's air conditioning and heating systems were malfunctioning and make it seem like the school neglected it, so they can't blame it on Percy," I offered. "I'm very persuasive. I could even ask my dad to do it."

Sally looked like she appreciated the gesture, but I could tell she wasn't sure it'd even work.

"I'll talk to him," Percy promised. "After we're done with the quest. I'll even tell him the truth if you want."

Sally put her hand on his shoulder. "You would do that?"

"Well yeah, I mean, he'll think we're crazy."

"He already thinks that."

"Then there's nothing to lose."

"Thank you, Percy," she sighed. "I'll tell him you'll be home..." she frowned. "When? What happens now?"

Annabeth broke her cookie in half. "See, Percy has this plan."

Reluctantly, Percy told her.

"It sounds very dangerous," Sally noted. "But it might work."

"You have the same abilities, don't you?" Percy asked. "You can see through the Mist."

Sally nodded and winced. "Not so much now. It was easier when I was younger. Just... be careful. Promise me you'll be safe."

"No promises," I said honestly. "But we'll try."

"Keeping your son safe is a big job, though," Annabeth noted, folding her arms and glaring out the kitchen window. Percy looked down.

"What's going on with you two?" Sally asked. "Have you been fighting?"

They didn't respond.

Sally looked at me and I shook my head and face palmed myself. She seemed to understand.

"I see," she said. "Well remember, Grover and Tyson are counting on you three."

"I know," Annabeth and Percy said in unison.

Sally smiled. "Percy, you'd better use the phone in the hall. Good luck."

He stood up and went to the hall. Sally looked at me. "No word from your brother?"

"None," I said. "He's still being a little... brat."

Sally touched my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Be careful around him. Please. He doesn't seem to be in his right mind."

"I will be," I promised.

Luke was definitely not in his right mind.

_______

"Maybe if we push her over," Annabeth suggested.

Rachel was completely still despite her remark, dressed (and painted) completely gold.

"I'm sure if I tickled her she'd move," I said. "Damn... she's dedicated. I couldn't keep that still."

"I doubt I could, either," Percy said. "Thanks, ADHD."

"Rachelllll," I said in a sing song voice. "Helloooo, Rachellll.... maybe if I say something weird. Hey Rachel you look cute."

"That's not weird," Annabeth said a bit harshly. "Just you being you."

"Well I doubt she knows I'm bi, Annabeth, so it might be weird to her."

Eventually, a silver colored kid walked up and struck a pose, and Rachel unfroze and walked to us.

"Hey, Percy, Lydia," she chirped. "Good timing! Let's get some coffee. Congrats on being bi, by the way."

I awkwardly smiled as she led us to Java Moose on West 43rd.

Rachel got an Espresso Extreme, and Annabeth and Percy ordered fruit smoothies. I got a pure black coffee, and that earned me more stares than Rachel in her 'King Midas touched me' Met Gala looking ass outfit.

"So," Rachel said. "It's Annabel, right?"

"Annabeth," she replied. "Do you always dress in gold?"

"Not usually," Rachel said thoughtfully. She reminded me of frickin Luna Lovegood with that statement. "We're raising money for our group. We do volunteer art projects for elementary kids cause they're cutting art from the schools, you know? We do this once a month, take in about five hundred dollars on a good weekend. But I'm guessing you don't want to talk about that. You're a half-blood too?"

"Shh!" Annabeth said, looking around. "Just announce it to the world, how about?"

"Okay," Rachel said. She stood up and said really loud "Hey, everybody! These three aren't human! They're half Greek god!"

Nobody looked over. Annabeth looked ready to kill Rachel.

"They don't seem to care," Rachel said.

"It's not an everyday thing to hear," I offered. "Badass, Dare. I like you."

"Aw, thank you," she said. "I'm straight though, sorry."

"Ah, it was worth a try," I said dramatically.

"Stop!" Annabeth cried. "Lydia— flirting with her isn't funny! And what you did wasn't funny. This isn't a joke, mortal girl."

"Her name's Rachel, and she's my forbidden love," I said.

Rachel giggled and blew me a kiss, and Annabeth snarled loudly.

"Hold it!" Percy hissed. "Just calm down."

"I'm calm," Rachel insisted. "Every time I'm around you, some monster attacks us. What's to be nervous about?"

"I'll protect you," I said.

"My hero," Rachel cooed, batting her eyelashes at me.

"Look," Percy said, wincing from how uncomfortable he obviously was. "I'm really sorry about the band room. I hope they didn't kick you out or anything."

"Nah, they asked me a lot of questions about you though," Rachel said. "I played dumb."

"Was it hard?" Annabeth retorted.

"Hey," I said. "Be nice to my girlfriend who's not my girlfriend."

Rachel laughed, and Percy groaned and asked Annabeth to stop.

"Rachel, we've got a problem. And we need your help."

Rachel narrowed her eyes at Annabeth. "You need my help?"

Annabeth stirred her straw in her smoothie. "Yeah. Maybe."

Percy told Rachel about the Labyrinth and Daedalus. The entire time, Annabeth made faces at me.

She really didn't like Rachel.

"So you want me to guide you," Rachel said. "Through a place I've never been."

"You can see through the Mist like Ariadne," I said. "You'd probably be able to see the right path. The Labyrinth won't be able to fool you as easily."

"And if you're wrong?" Rachel asked.

"Then we get lost," I said. "Either way it'll be dangerous. Very, very dangerous."

"I could die?"

"We all could."

Rachel turned to Percy. "I thought you said monsters don't care about mortals. That sword of yours—"

"Yeah," he said. "Celestial bronze doesn't hurt mortals. Most monsters would ignore you."

"But," I said, wringing my hands together. "Luke... he doesn't care who he hurts." I touched the scar on my cheek. "He'll use mortals, demigods, monsters, whatever. And he'll kill anyone who gets in the way."

"Nice guy," Rachel said.

"He's under the influence of a Titan," Annabeth said defensively. "He's been deceived."

"You know as well as I do that he is consciously making these choices," I said, pointing an angry finger at my cheek.

"How do you guys know this Luke guy?" Rachel inquired.

"He's my brother," I said. "He raised me."

Rachel looked around at us and nodded. "Okay, I'm in."

"Are you sure?" Percy asked.

"Hey, my summer was going to be boring," she said. "This is the best offer I've gotten yet. So what do I look for?"

"We have to find an entrance to the Labyrinth," Annabeth said. "There's an entrance at Camp Half Blood, but you can't go there. It's off limits to mortals."

"The other option is heading to a know entrance in Arizona," I said. "But I'm not sure I can teleport us there safely."

Rachel nodded. "Well what does an entrance to the Labyrinth look like?"

"It could be anything," Annabeth said. "But it would have the mark of Daedalus on it. A Greek Δ. Glowing in blue."

"Like this?" Rachel asked, drawing the symbol in her water.

"That's it," I said. "You know Greek?"

"No," she said. She pulled out a big blue plastic hair rush from her pocket and began brushing the gold out of her hair. "Let me get changed. You'd better come with me to the Marriott."

"Why?" Annabeth asked.

"Because there's an entrance like that in a hotel basement where we store our costumes. It's got the mark of Daedalus."


	12. I Kick My Boyfriend's Ass

"So... after you?" Rachel asked once I opened the door.

"You're the guide," Annabeth said with mock politeness. "Lead on."

The stairs led down to a large brick tunnel. It was so dark I couldn't see two feet in front of us, but luckily Annabeth and Percy had restocked on flashlights. As soon as we switched them on, Rachel yelped.

A skeleton was grinning at us. This one however, wasn't human. It was huge for one, at least ten feet tall. It had been strung up, chained by its wrists and ankles so it made a giant X over the tunnel. But what really sent shivers down my spine was the single black eye socket in the center of the skull.

"Cyclops," Annabeth said. "Very old. Not... anybody we know."

I saw Percy gulp.

"You have a friend who's a Cyclops?" Rachel inquired.

"Tyson," Percy said. "My half brother."

"Your half brother."

"Hopefully we'll find him down here," Percy said. "And Grover— he's a satyr."

"Oh," she squeaked. "Well then, we'd better keep moving."

She stepped under the skeleton's left arm and kept walking.

After fifty feet we came to a crossroads. Ahead, the brick tunnel continued. To the right, the walls were made of ancient marble slabs. To the left, the tunnel was dirt and tree roots.

"That looks like the tunnel Tyson and Grover took," Percy said, looking left.

Annabeth frowned. "Yeah, but the architecture to the right— those old stones— that's more likely to lead to an ancient part of the maze, toward Daedalus' workshop."

"We need to go straight," Rachel said.

We all looked at her in mild confusion.

"That's the least likely choice," Annabeth said.

"You don't see it?" Rachel asked. "Look at the floor."

I looked, and saw only worn bricks and mud.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to be seeing," I said, tapping my foot on a cracked brick.

"There's a brightness there," Rachel insisted. "Very faint. But forward is the correct way. To the left, farther down the tunnel, those tree roots are moving like feelers. I don't like that. To the right, there's a trap about twenty feet down. Holes in the walls, maybe for spikes. I don't think we should risk it."

I didn't know how she knew, but I decided we should trust her. "Okay, forward then."

"You believe her?" Annabeth asked sharply.

"Yeah," I said. "Unless you want me to run down the right and get killed to prove a point."

Percy nodded and pointed forward. Annabeth looked like she wanted to argue but waved for Rachel to lead on.

Together we kept walking down the brick corridor. It twisted and turned, but there were no side tunnels. We seemed to be angling down— heading deeper underground.

"No traps?" Percy asked.

"Nothing," Rachel said.

"Lydia, can you confirm?" Annabeth asked irritably.

"How can I confirm?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Throw a knife or look into the walls or something."

"I dunno if I can look into walls, Annabeth."

"You can do it with locks. Can you just check?"

Not wanting to argue anymore, I pressed my hand on the wall and concentrated on looking within it, and it's surrounding area, as if it were a simple lock on a door.

I felt a tug in my gut, and when I opened my eyes again, I was shocked to see the tunnel we were in in a miniature form, floating in front of me, showing the mechanics all over it.

One particular thing stood out, highlighted gold. A trapdoor about ten feet away.

"Trapdoor in ten feet," I said, gulping as I removed my hand. "We can avoid it by walking near the edge."

Annabeth blinked. "So... my theory was right. You can see the mechanics of locations."

"Apparently," I muttered. "It seems I'm good at finding hidden traps."

Annabeth looked smug, knowing she'd sort of discovered another power of mine. Maybe that's why I was so fascinated with the mechanics of things. I could see the gears inside anything.

Luckily, we managed to avoid the trapdoor.

"Should it be this easy?" Rachel asked.

"I doubt it," I said. "It never was before."

"So Rachel," Annabeth said as we continued to walk. "Where are you from, exactly?"

She said it as if she was asking Rachel what planet she was from.

Rachel luckily didn't look offended.

"Brooklyn," Rachel said.

"Aren't your parents going to be worried if you're out late?" Annabeth inquired.

Rachel exhaled. "Not likely. I could be gone a week and they'd never notice."

"Why not?" Annabeth asked softly. She understood what parent troubles were like.

Rachel didn't get to answer. There was a sudden creaking noise in front of us, like huge doors opening.

"What was that?" Annabeth asked.

"I dunno," Rachel said. "Metal hinges."

"Oh, that's helpful," Annabeth scoffed. "Lydia?"

Another chance to use my new skills. Joy.

I closed my eyes and concentrated.

"Crap," I said, my eyes snapping open. "Thirty five and a half feet ahead. Huge doors to an arena."

Annabeth opened her mouth to reply, but didn't when we heard the loud footsteps heading toward us from the door ahead.

"Run?" Percy suggested.

"No," I said. "I don't think we should—"

"Run!" Rachel agreed.

The three people beside me sprinted back and I cursed, running behind them.

We didn't even make it twenty feet before we ran into some lovely old friends from my dreams.

Two dracaenae leveled their javelins to their chests as Kelli, the empousa cheerleader, crossed her arms over her chest and looked us over.

"Well, well, well," she said gleefully. "Little Castellan. We finally meet in person."

I quickly drew Slasher, while Percy uncapped Riptide and Annabeth pulled out her knife.

But before I could even strike, Kelli pounced on Rachel, her hand turning into a claw as she spun Rachel around, holding her tight with her talons around her neck.

"Taking your little mortal pet for a walk?" Kelli asked me. "They're such fragile things. So easy to break."

Behind us, the loud footsteps drew closer. A huge form appeared out of the gloom— an eight foot tall Laistrygonian giant with red eyes and fangs.

The giant licked his lips when he saw us. "Can I eat them?"

"No," Kelli said. "Your master will want these. They will provide a great deal of entertainment." She smiled at Percy, then at me. "Now march, half bloods. Or you all die here, starting with the mortal girl."

Kelli immediately kicked me forward and I cursed loudly, sheathing Slasher as I trudged beside the giant, who looked incredibly hungry.

We were marched down the tunnel, flanked by the dracaenae. Kelli and the giant moved to the back, just in case we tried to run for it. Nobody seemed to worry about us running forward. That was the direction they wanted us to go.

Up ahead I could see the ten foot tall bronze doors I'd visualized earlier, emblazoned with a pair of crossed swords. From behind them came a muffled roar, like from a crowd.

"Oh yesssssss," the dracaenae on my left hissed. "You'll be very popular with our hosssssst."

"Who's your host?" I asked lazily.

She hissed, in what I took to be a laugh. "Oh, you'll sssssssee. You'll all get along furiousssssly." She looked at Percy. "He'ssss YOUR brother, after all."

"My what?" Percy said in shock, looking worried.

Even I had no idea who she could be talking about.

The giant pushed past us and opened the doors. He picked up Annabeth and I by our shirts and said "you two stay here."

"Hey!" Annabeth protested.

But the giant was twice our size and he'd already confiscated her knife and my sword. We couldn't do much.

Kelli laughed, her claws still around Rachel's neck. "Go in, Percy. Entertain us. We'll wait here with your friends to make sure you behave."

Percy looked at Rachel. "I'm sorry. I'll get you out of this."

"That would be nice," Rachel squeaked.

One of the dracaenae poked Percy with their javelin point and urged him into the arena.

The arena itself was fairly small, compared to others I'd been in. It was spacious considering it was underground. The dirt floor was circular— just big enough that you could drive a car around the rim if you pulled it really tight.

In the center of the arena, a fight was already going on between a gladiator giant and a centaur. The centaur looked panicked. He was galloping around his enemy, using a sword and shield, while the giant swung a javelin the size of a telephone pole at him. The crowd was cheering.

The first tier of seats were twelve feet above the arena floor, reminding me almost of a theater. Plain stone benches wrapped all the way around, and every seat was full. There were giants, dracaenae, demigods, telkhines, and even stranger things such as bat winged demons and creatures that were half human and half bird, reptile, insect, or mammal.

The creepiest things were the skulls. The arena was full of them. They ringed the edge of the railing. Three foot high piles of them decorated the steps between the benches. They grinned from pikes at the back of the stands and hung on chains from the ceiling like horrible chandeliers.

Some looked old as hell— nothing but bleached white bone. Others were definitely fresher, with some muscle and skin tissue still attached.

Only I would find it mildly fascinating.

In the middle of all this, proudly displayed on the side of the spectator's wall, was a green banner with the trident of Poseidon in the center. I suppose it belonged to whoever Percy's brother was.

Above the banner, in the seat of honor, sat my brother.

He was wearing camouflage pants, a white T shirt, a bronze breastplate, and no sword— just as I'd seen in my dream.

Ethan was nowhere in sight.

Beside Luke sat the largest giant I'd seen up to date. He was easily fifteen feet tall and so wide he took up three seats. He wore only loincloth, making him look like a sumo wrestler. His skin was dark red and tattooed with blue wave designs.

"That's Percy's brother, isn't it?" I mumbled to Annabeth.

She nodded grimly. "I think that's Antaeus, son of Poseidon and Gaea."

"Son of—? Isn't Gaea Poseidon's grandmo—? Nevermind I don't want to know how that happened," I said, gagging internally.

In the arena, the centaur, its legs now broken, struggled to get up. The gladiator giant put his huge foot on the horseman's chest and raised the javelin. He looked up at Luke. The crowd cheered, "DEATH! DEATH!"

Luke however, gave no signal. Instead, Antaeus rose and smiled down at the centaur, who was whimpering. Antaeus then held out his hand and gave a thumbs down sign.

What, did he not approve?

I then learned that was the sign for 'kill' because as soon as he saw it, the gladiator giant thrust down his javelin. The centaur evaporated in dust, leaving behind a single hoof. The giant took this as a trophy and showed it to the crowd, who roared in approval.

A gate opened at the opposite end of the stadium, and the giant marched out in triumph. In the stands, Antaeus raised his hands for silence.

"Good entertainment!" He bellowed. "But nothing I haven't seen before. What else do you have, Luke, son of Hermes."

My brother's jaw twitched and I could see he winced. He hated our father too much.

Luke rose calmly, looking like he was in a pleasant mood despite Antaeus' comment.

"Lord Antaeus," Luke said, loud enough for the crowd to hear. "You have been an excellent host! We would be happy to amuse you, to repay the favor of passing through your territory."

"A favor I have not yet granted," Antaeus growled. "I want entertainment!"

Luke bowed. "I believe I have something better than centaurs to fight in your arena now. I have a brother of yours." He pointed at Percy. "Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon."

The crowd jeered and threw stones at Percy, who got hit with a few. Annabeth sucked in air harshly.

Antaeus' eyes lit up. "A son of Poseidon? Then he should fight well. Or die well!"

"If his death pleases you," Luke said, "will you let our armies cross your territory?"

"Perhaps!" Antaeus said.

Luke didn't seem too happy about the 'perhaps.' He glared down at Percy, as if warning him he better die.

"Luke!" Annabeth yelled suddenly. "Stop this! Let us go!"

I was about to tell her it was useless to argue, until I noticed Luke flinched, and was stunned for a moment.

"Annabeth?" He asked in a softer than natural voice. "Lydia?"

He looked... almost relieved to see I was alive.

"Enough time for the females to fight afterward," Antaeus said dismissively. "First, Percy Jackson, what weapons will you choose?"

The dracaenae pushed Percy into the middle of the arena.

"How can you be a son of Poseidon?" Percy asked loudly.

"I am his favorite son!" Antaeus boomed. "Behold, my temple to the Earthshaker, built from the skulls of those I've killed in his name! Your skull shall join them!"

"Oh, fucking lovely," I hissed.

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled. "His mother is Gaea! Gae—"

The Laistrygonian behind us clapped his hand over her mouth. Percy didn't seem to know what she meant or why it was so important.

"You're crazy, Antaeus," Percy said boldly. "If you think this is a good tribute, you know nothing about Poseidon."

The crowd yelled insults at him, but Antaeus raised his hand for silence.

"I volunteer!" I screamed.

Annabeth looked at me with wide eyes and Percy did too.

"What, half-blood?" Antaeus snarled.

"I volunteer!" I cried. "To fight in his place!"

Antaeus rolled his eyes. "And who are you?"

"Lydia Evelyn Castellan!" I said. "Daughter of Hermes. Slayer of Aethiopian drakons, and worse monsters than those present here! I will fight for him!"

Antaeus turned sharply to Luke. "You told me the girl was dead."

"I was told she was," Luke said coldly.

"Fine!" Antaeus roared. "Percy Jackson may wait to fight me. You will do the other rounds involving other opponents."

Kelli bared her fangs at me as the dracaenae pushed me into the arena, and the other brought Percy back.

"What are you doing?" He hissed.

"Annabeth knows about this guy— you need to listen to her for a bit to know how to beat him," I said. "I'm stalling."

Percy gave me a grateful smile.

"Weapons!" Antaeus yelled. "Then we'll see how you die. Will you have axes? Shields? Nets? Flamethrowers?"

"All I need is my sword," I said.

Laughter echoed in the crowd. But the instant Slasher appeared in my hand, the bronze and gold blade gleaming, they stopped.

"Round one!" Antaeus announced. "Let's see if you're as good as they say, Little Castellan."

Luke looked at me fixedly as the gates opened, and a dracaenae slithered out. She had a trident in one hand and a weighted net in the other— classic gladiator style.

Unfortunately for her, I knew all the upsides and downsides of her weapons. I'd trained the other campers to use them.

She jabbed at me experimentally. I took a lazy step back. She threw her net, hoping to tangle my sword hand, but I sidestepped easily, and ducked. When I stood up, I cut her spear in half and the net into pieces, then whirled forward to stab Slasher through a chink in her armor. With a painful wail, she vaporized into nothing, and the cheering in the crowd died.

"No!" Antaeus bellowed. "Too fast! You must wait for the kill. Only I give that order."

I flipped him off and the crowd booed.

"Nice job, Baby Castellan," Luke said, amidst the sounds of the angry audience. He was smirking malevolently, but I swear I saw slight pride in his eyes. "You've gotten much, much better, I'll grant you that."

I shot him a cheeky grin.

He then leaned over and whispered something to Antaeus, who grinned as well.

"Round two!" He yelled. "And slower this time! More entertainment! Wait for my call before killing anybody. OR ELSE!"

The gate opened again, and I faltered.

Ethan.

He had definitely grown into his armor. He used to be so skinny it slipped off him. But now that he'd been training with Luke, no doubt, he filled it better.

Attractive.

And problematic, as always.

"I see you're alive," he said, putting on his helmet.

"You knew I was, don't play with me," I hissed. "Threatening a mortal, Ethan? Pathetic."

His jaw tightened, and his eyes flickered over my body.

Neither of us could possibly deny that our feelings were going to get in the way.

He charged. Our swords met in midair just as they had so many times before.

He pressed forward, and I saw the smirk on his face. He was having fun.

He parried my strike and slammed me with his shield, but I easily leapt back and spun in midair, kicking the shield across the arena.

"Never do get tired of your little kicks, do you, Queen Castellan?" He said as the crowd yelled for blood.

"I wouldn't when they work just fine to give me the upperhand, Nakamura," I hissed, blocking another strike so quickly it made Ethan stumble.

He looked quickly up at the crowd.

"I see," I said, circling him. "You need to impress them. They still don't trust you."

"Shut up, if you know what's good for you," he said venomously, though I could tell from the way he licked his lips I'd been right.

"Or what?" I asked. "You'll kiss me?"

He smirked, but shook his head.

"Maybe when I get ready to kill you," he said. "I'll request to keep you here then kiss you all I want."

My skin tingled, but luckily I wasn't distracted, because he chose that moment to charge. I parried his blade and backed away, letting him come after me.

Ethan continued to press me, but even he knew he was no match for me. He had all his armor and a shield just an arms reach away, and I was wearing absolutely no protection.

You'd think after all our training he'd be able to keep up, but he couldn't.

I kept letting him play offense, and simply kept dodging his strikes and sending him tumbling back.

The crowd was anxious. They kept yelling complaints and throwing rocks. Ethan and I had been fighting for nearly five minutes and there was still no blood.

From the stands I could see Luke was very interested in how I was managing against him. I didn't know what he was thinking, but I knew it might've been related to getting me to join his side.

Ethan then made his mistake. He did this often in training, and I tried to correct him every time, but somehow the desperation always got to him and he would do this over and over again.

He had tried to jab at my unprotected stomach. However, I'd leaned to the side and locked his sword hilt in mine and twisted. His sword flew out of his hands. I then put my sword tip on the ground and used it to spin horizontally in midair, kicking my legs out to throw him back. I landed just in time to slam the butt of my sword into his helmet. He crumpled to the floor, dazed and clearly exhausted.

I stood over him, putting the tip of my sword on his chest.

Ethan looked afraid, but he still had a small grin.

"I never could beat you," he panted.

"No, you couldn't," I said softly.

I looked up at Antaeus. His red face was stormy with displeasure, but he held up his hand and put it thumbs down.

Instead of slicing Ethan's neck, I sheathed Slasher.

"I'm not doing it," I said, offering Ethan my hand to help him up. "I'm not."

Ethan didn't take it immediately. "Don't be a fool, Lydia. They'll just kill us both."

"You're the fool if you think I'll let that happen," I said. He reluctantly took my hand and I hoisted him up.

His armor pressed against my chest, and I had to crane my neck up to look him properly in the eyes.

"I always hated how much taller you are than me," I murmured, the sounds of the crowd no longer a noise in my ear.

He smiled softly, and he leaned in.

"NO!" Antaeus yelled furiously, making us leap apart. "Lovesick idiots! NO ONE DISHONORS THE GAMES! Your heads shall both be tributes to Poseidon!"

"No they won't be!" Percy yelled.

I whirled around and saw him walking into the arena, Riptide in his hands.

"Both of you, when you see your chance, run," Percy said as he approached us. "Take Annabeth and Rachel with you. I got this."

"Percy, are you sure?" I asked frantically.

"Yes, Lydia," he said. "I got it."

I nodded and tugged Ethan toward where Annabeth was.

"Why don't you fight me yourself, Antaeus?" Percy yelled. "You've seen Lydia's skills. I'm sure Luke's told you I'm a match for that. If you really have Dad's favor, come down here and prove it!"

As I took my place beside Annabeth, I saw both her and Rachel staring strangely at Ethan, who was towering over all of us.

In the stands, the monsters grumbled. Antaeus looked around, and apparently realized he had no choice. He couldn't say no without looking like a coward.

"I am the greatest wrestler in the world, boy," he warned Percy. "I have been wrestling since the first pankration!"

"What the hell is a pankration?" I asked. "Sounds like pansexual crustacean... as one word."

I was mostly trying to liven the mood, but I seriously didn't know what it was.

Ethan laughed lightly and laced his fingers in mine, making my heart flutter. "He means fighting to the death. No rules. No holds barred. It used to be an Olympic sport. I finally seem to know something you don't."

"You know I'm a science geek," I hissed.

Ethan raised an eyebrow, his hand releasing mine to snake around my waist, resting on my hip.

Percy pointed his sword at Antaeus. "Winner takes all! I win, we all go free. You win, we die. Swear upon the River Styx."

"At least he's learning," I said softly to a very afraid looking Annabeth.

"This shouldn't take long," Antaeus said. "I swear to your terms."

With that, he leapt off the railing into the arena. He crackled his knuckles. "Weapons?"

"I'll stick with my sword," Percy said. "You?"

Antaeus held up a huge hand and wiggled his fingers. "I don't need anything else! Master Luke, you will referee this one."

"With pleasure," Luke said, shooting Percy a malevolent smile.

Antaeus lunged. Percy managed to roll under his legs and stab the back of his thigh.

Instead of blood, sand poured out of the wound. It spilled all over the dirt floor, and the dirt collected around his leg, almost like a cast. When the dirt fell away, the wound was gone.

"What in the absolute fuck?" I whispered.

Ethan looked amused at my reaction. "His... benefits of being a son of Gaea."

Percy then stabbed Antaeus right in the ribs, and I thought for a joyous moment the fight would end there.

But Antaeus simply threw Percy across the arena and then yanked Riptide out. Sand poured out again, but just as quickly the dirt rose along his leg to press against his wound and heal him.

"Now you see why I never lose, demigod!" Antaeus gloated. "Come here and let me crush you. I'll make it quick!"

Percy looked back at Annabeth, who looked like she might faint.

He then faked several tries to get his sword, which lay behind Antaeus. I could see in his eyes— he was formulating a plan.

"Woah," Ethan said suddenly. "His sword is gone. Is he a wizard?"

"No, Riptide just turned back into a pen and went back in Percy's pocket," I said. "But Antaeus doesn't know that."

Annabeth's eyes lit up a bit— making her look more hopeful.

"Puny boy!" Antaeus said as Percy continued to fake trying to get his sword. "Not a worthy son of the sea god!"

Little did he know Percy already had his sword.

Percy then charged, crouching low so Antaeus would have assumed he would duck between his legs again.

Antaeus stooped down to catch him. Percy jumped, kicking off Antaeus' forearm and scrambling up to his head.

Antaeus straightened up in indignation, and Percy threw himself up to hold a chain of skulls that hung from the ceiling.

"Oh!" I said, realizing what Percy her done. "He's figured it out!"

Annabeth swayed on the spot, her eyes glittering with tears of pride.

Damn, she really liked him.

"Come down here, coward!" Antaeus bellowed as Percy waved Riptide tauntingly in his face. He trie to grab him, but Percy was out of reach.

"Come up and get me!" Percy challenged. "Or are you too slow and fat?"

"Yikes," Ethan said, clutching his chest. "He really went there."

I playfully shoved him aside.

It felt nice to be able to joke around again.

But for some reason I knew this wouldn't last. I'd have to make the best of it.

Somehow, Antaeus managed to get tangled in all the chains, Percy having snagged his loincloth with his sword. He seemed to have contributed to the various loops keeping Antaeus suspended in midair.

"Way to fucking go," I breathed.

Even Ethan looked happy.

"Get me down!" Antaeus demanded.

"Free him!" Luke yelled. "He is our host!"

Percy uncapped Riptide. "I'll free him."

He stabbed right up into Antaeus' stomach. As he was hanging in midair, the dirt couldn't reach up to heal him.

Eventually all that was left was a tangle of chains and a loincloth.

"JACKSON!" Luke roared. "I should have killed you long ago!"

"You tried," Percy noted, which made me chuckle softly. "Let us go, Luke. We had a sworn agreement with Antaeus. I'm the winner."

"Antaeus is dead," Luke said. "His oath does with him. But since I'm feeling merciful today, I'll have you killed quickly."

He pointed at me and Annabeth. "Spare those two, and my Lieutenant. I wish to speak to them before our great triumph."

Every monster in the audience drew a weapon or extended their claws.

Percy suddenly drew the dog whistle I remembered Quintus giving him and blew into it. It shattered into shards of ice.

That made Luke laugh. "What was that supposed to do?"

Suddenly, the Laistrygonian giant who'd been standing behind us flew over our heads and smashed into the opposite wall as a loud 'AROOOOF!' rang out.

Kelli the empousa screamed as Mrs O'Leary picked her up like a chew toy and tossed her right into Luke's lap. The hellhound snarled and the two dracaenae guards backed away.

"Let's go!" Percy yelled. "Heel, Mrs O'Leary!"

"The far exit!" Rachel cried. "That's the right way!"

We wasted no time in bolting for the exit, Ethan running beside me.


	13. Annabeth Goes Psycho On Us

"This way!" Rachel yelled.

"Why should we follow you?" Annabeth demanded. "You led us straight into that death trap!"

"It was the way you needed to go," Rachel insisted. "And so is this. Come on!"

Ethan made a face when Annabeth rolled her eyes. I held back my laugh.

Rachel seemed to know exactly where she was going. She whipped around corners and didn't hesitate at crossroads. Once she said "Duck!" right as I sensed a giant axe was about to swing overhead and were saved.

Honestly I didn't keep track of how many turns we were doing. I was mainly focused on the fact that Annabeth looked like she might strangle Rachel, Percy looked exhausted, and Ethan was still holding my hand.

We didn't stop running until we reached a room the size of a gymnasium with old marble columns holding up the roof.

It seemed we'd lost Luke and the others— and unfortunately Mrs O'Leary. I knew the hellhound could shadow travel away, so I wasn't worried.

Ethan collapsed on the floor, looking at me. "Crazy as ever, Queen Castellan."

"Says the one who joined Luke," I scoffed.

His eye glinted darkly, but I wasn't the least bit afraid. He then smirked.

"What I want to know," he said, "is how you survived that explosion."

"Gee, don't you think I want to know too?" I asked.

"That doctor was no idiot."

"Obviously not, she's a neurologist."

He looked me up and down, my face red as he finally fixated his gaze back upon my face.

"You look good," he said. "I don't think I said it in the arena."

"Thanks," I said quickly. "Er— you two."

"So this is Ethan," Rachel noted, looking at him intently. "Your boyfriend."

"No!" I said, quickly waving my hands in the air. "No— he's not— we're not—"

Ethan shot me a mischievous grin.

I guess that was a trigger.

"Don't look at me like that!" I snapped. "Honestly I can't believe I've been nice to you up til now!"

Annabeth, Percy, and Ethan all flinched. Rachel was watching me intently.

"Lydia—" Ethan began.

"No!" I cried, all my emotions finally pouring out. "No— you LEFT me. You LEFT. You told me you had reconsidered! That you were staying behind for me! I-I thought we were going to BE something. But you just— kissed me and left!"

"Lydia," he said again, standing up. "I-I didn't mean to—"

"Yes you did!" I said. "You meant to leave! You KNEW it would hurt me, so you meant to do that too! How could you just lie to me and then use the information against our Camp—"

"YOUR Camp," he hissed, coming closer. "You don't get to judge me for choosing to go with Luke. You also knew how I felt about the gods—"

"So?" I snarled. "You SUCK IT UP! That's what you do! How can you be so stupid and just betray us— giving yourself to Luke as a tool to get us all killed—"

"YOU WERE THE ONLY PERSON I CARED ABOUT SO THERE IS NO 'US' LYDIA, IT WAS JUST YOU—"

"THEN WHY DID YOU LEAVE IF YOU CLAIMED TO HAVE CARED SO DAMN MUCH—"

I wasn't even surprised when Ethan pushed me up against the wall, his lips slamming against mine, his tongue slipping into my mouth and slamming mine down, making us both groan softly.

The others were just as confused as I was.

This was not happening again.

Absolutely not.

I threw him off. "STOP IT! Stop— stop kissing me—"

"You know you want to as much as I do," he said, his voice low and husky. "Lydia— come on. When have the gods ever done anything for you? Join us. I love you, and I don't want to leave you—"

"You LOVE me?" I said, stepping away from him. "Ethan, if you loved me, you wouldn't be on Luke's side. If you loved me—"

"I DO LOVE YOU!" Ethan yelled. "Why do you think I made Luke think you were dead and why do you think I've been struggling so much with everything— I know you've had dreams about what we've been doing! I do—"

"You DON'T," I said, my voice shaky. "You don't know what love is, Ethan. You think love is just kissing me and eventually screwing me but it ISN'T— it's listening and caring and being there for each other— which you're not— and you KNOW how I feel about 'love' and—"

"Okay, so you have trust issues!" Ethan said. "We all know it takes a lot for you to admit you love people because you hate making yourself vulnerable. So what? How does that mean I don't love you—?"

"YOU DON'T LOVE ME!" I said, stomping my foot, and making the whole cavern shake. I didn't realize my hands were glowing out of my fury. "Ethan if you loved me you wouldn't have done this, you wouldn't be trying to get me to join you— you'd come back, or stay with us on our quest."

Ethan's eyes were watering. He looked angry and afraid at the same time. "Lydia, please. He'll kill you if you're not on his side. I want to keep you safe, and this is the only way— I can't stay on your side, I can't, I don't believe in what you do, I don't honor the gods—"

"Fine! Then go back with Luke!" I spat. "Tell him I refuse! He'll kill me no matter what! But Ethan please, PLEASE consider what you're doing. You're going to get yourself killed if you stay with him, and I don't want to see you get hurt—"

"What does it matter?" Ethan scoffed. "You don't think I love you and clearly don't love me back since that emotion is so unfathomable for you and you're going to fight against him when he's already got half a mind to kill you. What does it matter if I die? The problem here, Lydia, is that I don't EVER want to live without you but you're making this SO MUCH more difficult than it needs to be—"

"No," I said firmly. "I just know where my loyalties lie. You chose the wrong side."

Annabeth and Percy watched fearfully as Ethan approached me, his eye still dark, but with an unnatural softness.

His hands went to my shoulders, snaking up my neck to cup my face in his hands.

"So what?" He asked. "We'll just never be together?"

He leaned in, and I let him press a kiss on my lips.

"Ethan," I breathed, pulling away. "We could have been together. But you left. I'm not joining you."

"Fine," he said hoarsely. "Fine. Stay behind. Get killed. Maybe we'll get to be together in Elysium—"

"Oh don't be an IDIOT, Ethan—"

He stepped back the way we'd come.

"I'm sorry, then, Lydia," he said, looking intently at me. "Don't say I didn't warn you. I've run out of ideas to help you stay alive. For the record, I do love you, whether you choose to believe it or not."

He then sprinted down the maze, leaving me to growl in fury, my hands finally not glowing anymore.

"What the hell just happened?" Rachel said, looking at me with wide eyes.

"I just decided to dump him," I said in a shaky voice, throwing Slasher onto the floor and sitting down angrily, putting my head in my knees.

Annabeth decided we should set up camp there. Percy found some scrap to start a fire, making shadows dance off the columns rising around us.

"Something wrong with Luke," Annabeth muttered, poking at the fire with her knife. "Did you notice the way he was acting?"

"Well, something is always wrong with him," I said. "I mean, he looked incredibly happy to see Percy and he didn't even seem too mad that I was still alive."

"It's not that," Annabeth said. "There was something else wrong with him, Lydia, I know it. He looked... nervous. And he told his monsters to spare us he wanted to tell us something."

"Well," Percy noted, "He was probably going to say 'hi Annabeth, hi Lydia, sit here with me and watch while I tear Percy apart. Then it'll be your turn, Baby Castellan. It'll be fun!"

"You're impossible," Annabeth grumbled. She looked at me. "No theories?"

"I have one," I said, fiddling with my knives as I cleaned them, imagining I'd get to stab Ethan with them. "Remember when I told you about my dream— one of the ones Percy and I shared? Kelli mentioned he had a 'special part.' I think, based on the fragments in that jar that keep appearing— he may be the new host for Kronos' body."

It was a valid theory. I'd later learn I was spot on, but Annabeth wouldn't have it.

"No," she said immediately. "You're wrong."

"It's a theory, Annabeth, no theory is wrong—"

"Well this one is, Lydia," she said harshly, glaring at me. "Luke wouldn't do that."

"You don't know him like I do, Annabeth—"

"No, YOU don't know him!" She snapped. "You ALWAYS assume the worst with him and you have no hope! What kind of sister are you?"

"Not a blind one, obviously!" I snarled back. "I know he's too far gone, you just don't want to accept it because you have some crazy vision of him being better! It's too late, Annabeth, and I think he's about to become Kronos' host!"

Annabeth spat a series of curse words in my direction.

The problem here was that despite Annabeth and I growing up together alongside Luke, was our perception of him from the start.

I knew Luke could be malicious. I'd seen it when he snapped at our mother for hurting me and when he would argue with our father on various occasions. I saw him falling apart.

Annabeth had hardly seen that side of Luke. She had had a crush on him, and looked up to him so much she didn't realize how dark his sense of humor had always been and how often he had actually talked crap on the gods.

My eyes were open to the evil person he'd become. Hers weren't.

"So," Annabeth said, turning to Rachel, clearly not wanting to talk to me anymore. "Which way now, Sacagawea?"

Rachel didn't respond right away. She'd become quieter since the arena. Now, she was hardly snapping back to Annabeth's sarcastic comments.

Rachel had burned the tip of a stick in the fire and was using it to draw ash figures on the floor— images of the monsters we'd seen. With a few strokes, she caught the likeness of a dracaena perfectly.

"We'll follow the path," she said. "The brightness on the floor."

"The brightness that led us straight into a trap?" Annabeth said.

I was about to snap at her, but Percy jumped in.

"Lay off her, Annabeth, she's doing the best she can," he said firmly.

Annabeth glared at us and stood. "The fire's getting low. I'll go look for some more scraps while you guys talk strategy." She marched off into the shadows.

"She doesn't get to be bitter," I hissed. "I'm the one losing my brother and my best friend at the same time."

Rachel made an undistinguishable noise to my comment. She drew another figure with her stick— an ashy Antaeus dangling from his chains.

"Annabeth's not usually like this," Percy offered. "I don't know what her problem is."

I wanted to face palm myself.

"Are you sure you don't know?" Rachel asked with raised eyebrows.

"What do you mean?" He asked bluntly.

Out of impulse, Rachel and I made a face at each other.

Percy clearly had no idea that Annabeth's hostility was due to jealousy since he was being so nice to Rachel.

"Boys," She muttered. "Totally blind."

"Hey, don't you get on my case too," he said. "Look, I'm sorry I got you involved in this."

"No, you were right," she said. "I can see the path. I can't explain it, but it's really clear." She pointed toward the other end of the room, into the darkness. "The workshop is that way. The heart of the maze. We're very close now. I don't know why the path led through that arena. I-I'm sorry about that. I thought you two were going to die."

She sounded close to tears.

"Percy and I are usually about to die," I said. "At least this isn't as bad as getting blown out of Mount St. Helens. I needed spinal surgery."

Rachel laughed slightly.

"So you do this every summer?" She asked. "Fight monsters? Save the world? Don't you ever get to just, you know, do normal stuff?"

"Nah," I said. "I can't remember the last time I did something normal. I've been doing this since I was six."

"We half-bloods get used to it," Percy sighed. "Well maybe not used to it but... yeah. What about you? What do you do normally?"

"I paint. Read a lot."

"What about your family?" Percy inquired.

I sensed Rachel's mental shields went up, almost like I could see the mechanics inside her head. "They're just, family."

"You said they wouldn't notice if you were gone," he said.

I wanted to tell him to stop questioning her, but she practically did it herself.

"Wow, I'm really tired," she said, yawning for effect. "I may sleep for awhile, okay?"

"Yes, go ahead," I said, waving for Percy to keep quiet.

She curled up, using her backpack as a pillow. I had the feeling she was faking being asleep.

"I don't think I should have asked that," Percy mumbled.

"Yeah, you shouldn't have," I sighed. "Percy— she isn't like me. You know I have no shame and will talk all about my crappy family and other embarrassing secrets about myself. But not everyone is like that. She'll tell you when she's ready to tell you. It's her secret, for now."

He nodded, and just then Annabeth walked up, and tossed some more sticks on the fire. She looked at Rachel, then at me.

"Look Lydia, I'm sorry—"

"Save it, please, Annabeth," I said gruffly, curling up as well. "I don't want to argue anymore."

She looked mildly guilty, but I could see she still disagreed with him. I paid her no attention and allowed myself to fall asleep.

__________

We had to break into a run as soon as the earth started shaking and let me just tell you, it sucks to wake up to that.

I'm deathly afraid of earthquakes, so imagine my anxiety when I, for once, am having a nice dream about my future as a doctor and I wake up to Annabeth screaming in my ear while the earth belly dances.

The only benefit that came was the fact that we somehow ended up right at the door of Daedalus's workshop.

Annabeth immediately pressed the symbol on the door and it opened, revealing modern architecture inside the room.

The workshop was like an artist's studio, with thirty foot tall ceilings and industrial lighting, polished stone floors, and workbenches along with windows. A spiral staircase led up to a second-story loft. Have a dozen easels displayed hand-drawn diagrams for buildings and machines that looked like Leonardo da Vinci sketches. Several laptop computers were scattered around on the tables. Glass jars of green oil— Greek fire— lined one shelf.

There were inventions too— weird metal machines with complex gears on the inside. Completely fascinating for me. There was the bronze chair with a bunch of electrical wires attached to it like some kind of torture device and in another corner stood a giant metal egg about the size of a man. There was a grandfather clock that appeared to be made entirely of glass so you could see all the gears turning, and hanging on the wall were several sets of bronze and silver wings.

"Di immortales," Annabeth muttered. She ran to the nearest easel and looked at the sketch. "He's a genius! Look at the curves on this building!"

"And an artist," Rachel said. "These wings are amazing!"

"Personally, I'm really enjoying this automaton," I said, looking at a complete robot of a human, complete with functional organs.

"Where are we?" Percy muttered, looking outside.

I felt the tingle in my head and spoke immediately. "Colorado Springs. The Garden of the Gods."

"Very good, Lydia."

I whirled around. Standing on the spiral staircase above us, his weapon drawn, was Quintus.

"You!" Annabeth hissed. "What have you done with Daedalus?"

Quintus smiled faintly. "Trust me, my dear, you don't want to meet him."

"Look, Mr Traitor," she growled. "I didn't fight a dragon woman and a three bodied man and a psychotic Sphinx to see you. Now where is Daedalus?"

"Annabeth," I said suddenly, narrowing my eyes as Quintus walked down to us. "Please don't talk for two seconds."

She stared at me strangely, and I seized the opportunity to focus on him.

His movements were smooth but there was a stiffness to him. My brain was tingling, and all of the sudden, I could see THROUGH him, and inside— the gears were just like the automaton I'd been observing.

"No way," I said, my mouth dropping open. "You made yourself a new body. You're an automaton! Quintus... your... your fifth body... no wonder these gears look more advanced than the other..."

"What?" Annabeth cried. "Lydia what the hell—?"

"Very, very good, Lydia," Quintus said. "I see you've discovered your ability to see the mechanics within every single object in existence."

"That's not possible!" Annabeth cried. "You— you CAN'T be an automaton—"

Quintus held out his forearm and pressed his elbow. Part of his wrist popped open— a rectangular hatch revealing bronze gears and glowing wires.

"That's amazing," Rachel breathed.

"Innovative," I said, taking his arm and observing it. "So brilliant... I'd love to see your brain..."

He chuckled. "Perhaps I'll give you my notes on that. You are studying Medicine online, yes? You could use it in the surgical research field."

I was going to thank him, but Annabeth cut me off.

"You found a way to transfer your animus into a machine," she said. "That's not natural."

"Oh, I assure you, my dear, it's still me," he said. "I'm still very much Daedalus. Our mother, Athena, makes sure I never forget that." He tugged back the collar of his shirt. At the base of his neck was the dark shape of a bird grafted onto his skin.

"A murderer's brand," Annabeth noted.

"For your nephew Perdix," Percy said. "The boy you pushed off the tower."

Daedalus' face darkened. "I did not push him. I simply—"

"Made him lose his balance. Let him die."

"I regret what I did, Percy," Daedalus insisted. "I was angry and bitter. But I cannot take it back, and Athena never lets me forget."

"So," I said, wanting to change the subject. "Why come to our camp? Why spy on us?"

"To see if your camp was worth saving. Your brother had given me one story. I preferred to come to my own conclusions."

"So you've I have talked to Luke," I muttered.

"Oh yes, several times. He's quite persuasive."

"He got the manipulative end of Hermes," I hissed.

"But now you've seen the camp!" Annabeth cried. "So you know we need your help. You can't let Luke through the maze!"

Daedalus set his sword on the workbench. " The maze is no longer mine to control, Annabeth. I created it, yes. In fact, it is tied to my life force. But I have allowed it to live and grow on its own. That is the price I paid for privacy."

"Privacy from what?" Annabethasked.

"The gods. And death. I have been alive for two millenia, my dear, hiding from death."

"But how can you hide from Hades?" Percy inquired. "I mean... Hades has the Furies."

"They do not know everything. Or see everything. You have encountered them, Percy. You know this is true. A clever man can hide quite a long time, and I have buried myself very deep. Only my greatest enemy has kept after me, and even him I have thwarted."

"You mean Minos."

Daedalus nodded. "He hunts for me relentlessly. Now that he is a judge of the dead, he would like nothing better than for me to come before him so he can punish me for my crimes. After the daughters of Cocalus killed him, Minos's ghost began torturing me in my dreams. He promised that he would hunt me down. I did the only thing I could. I retreated from the world completely. I descended into my Labyrinth. I decided this would be my ultimate accomplishment: I would cheat death."

"And you did," Annabeth marveled. "For two thousand years." She sounded impressed, despite the horrible things Daedalus had done.

Just then, a loud bark echoed from the corridor. I heard the _ba-BUMP, ba-BUMP, ba-BUM_ P of huge paws, and Mrs O'Leary bounded into the workshop. She licked my face once, then Percy's, and then almost knocked Daedalus over with an enthusiastic leap.

"There is my old friend!" Daedalus said, scratching her behind the ears. "My only companion all these long lonely years."

"You let her save me," Percy noted. "That whistle actually worked."

Daedalus nodded. "Of course it did, Percy. You have a good heart. And I knew Mrs. O'Leary liked you. I wanted to help you. Perhaps I—I felt guilty, as well."

"Guilty?" Annabeth inquired.

"That your quest will be in vain."

I had been pacing around the room, and suddenly looked up at him, tensing. "Why? You can still give us Ariadne's string so my brother can't get it."

He gave me a grim look.

My heart dropped to my stomach. "You already gave it to him."

"I had told Luke that the eyes of a clear-sighted mortal are the best guide, but he did not trust me. He was so focused on the idea of a magic item. And the string works. It's not as accurate as your mortal friend here, perhaps, but good enough. Unfortunately, you are several hours too late."

"So that's why he was in such a good mood," Percy hissed.

"Kronos promised me freedom," Daedalus said. "Once Hades is overthrown, he will set me over the Underworld. I will reclaim my son, Icarus. I will make things right with poor young Perdix. I will see Minos's soul cast into Tartarus, where it cannot bother me again. And I will no longer have to run from death."

"That's your brilliant idea?" Annabeth yelled indignantly. "You're going to let Luke destroy your camp, kill hundreds of demigods, and then attack Olympus? You're going to bring down the entire world so you can get what you want?"

"Your cause is doomed, my dear. I saw that as soon as I began to work at your camp. There is no way you can hold back the might of Kronos."

"That's not true!"

"I am doing what I must, my dear. The offer was too sweet to refuse. I'm sorry."

Annabeth pushed over an easel, making architectural drawings scatter across the floor.

In all the years of me pissing Annabeth off to the max, I'd never seen her this mad.

"I used to respect you!" She snapped. "You were my hero! You— you built amazing things. You solved problems. Now... I don't know what you are. Children of Athena are supposed to be wise, not just clever. Maybe you are just a machine. You should have died two thousand years ago."

I thought Daedalus would get mad. Instead, he hung his head. "You should go warn your camp. Now that Luke has the string—"

Suddenly, Mrs O'Leary perked up her ears.

"Someone's coming!" Rachel warned.

So much for warning the Camp.


	14. I Walk In On My Brother's Funeral

The doors burst open, and Nico was pushed inside, his hands in chains. Then Kelli and two Laistrygonians marched in behind him, followed by the ghost of Minos. He looked almost solid now- a pale bearded king with cold eyes and tendrils of Mist coiling off his robes.

He fixed his gaze on Daedalus. "There you are, my old friend."

Daedalus' jaw clenched. He looked at Kelli. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Luke sends his compliments," she said. "He thought you might like to see your old employer Minos."

"This was not part of our agreement," Daedalus said.

"No indeed," Kelli noted. "But we already have what we want from you, and we have other agreements to honor. Minos required something else from us, in order to turn over this fine young demigod." She ran a finger under Nico's chin. "He'll be quite useful. And all Minos asked in return was your head, old man."

Daedalus paled. "Treachery."

"Get used to it," Kelli said.

"Nico," Percy panted. "Are you okay?"

Nico nodded morosely. "I-I'm sorry, Percy. Minos told me you were in danger. He convinced me to go back into the maze."

"You were trying to help us?" I asked incredulously.

Nico gulped. "I was tricked. He tricked all of us."

I gritted my teeth and turned to the demon cheerleader. "So where's Luke? Why isn't he here?"

She smiled as if we were sharing a private joke. "Your brother is... busy. He is preparing for the assault. But don't worry. We have more friends on the way. And in the meantime, I think I'll have a wonderful snack!" Her hands changed into claws. Her hair burst into flame and her legs turned to their true form- one donkey leg, and one bronze.

I saw Rachel whisper something to Percy. Next thing I knew, Percy charged.

Naturally, Annabeth and I followed his lead. Annabeth and Percy leapt at Kelli, and I jumped back to stand with Daedalus as the giants bolted straight for him. Luckily Mrs O'Leary jumped to his defense- shielding me and giving me time to draw Slasher.

Nico got pushed to the ground and struggled with his chains while the spirit of Minos wailed "Kill the inventor! Kill him!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rachel had grabbed the wings off the wall. No one paid her any attention.

Kelli slashed at Annabeth. Percy made a move to get her, but the demon was quick and deadly. She turned over tables, smashing inventions- not letting us get close. I saw Mrs O'Leary chomp her fangs into a giant's arm. He wailed in pain and flung her around, trying to shake her. Daedalus grabbed for his sword, but the second giant smashed the workbench with his fist, and the sword went flying. A clay jar of Greek fire broke on the floor and began to burn, green flames spreading quickly.

"To me!" Minos cried. "Spirits of the dead!" He raised his ghostly hands and the air began to hum.

"No!" Nico cried. He was now on his feet, and he'd managed to remove his shackles.

"You do not control me, young fool," Minos sneered. "All this time, I have been controlling you! A soul for a soul, yes. But it is not your sister who will return from the dead. It is I, as soon as I slay the inventor!"

I leapt out of the way just as one of the giants swatted the workbench my way. I growled and dove between its legs, and scrambled up its back to stab it just behind the neck.

The giant roared and vanished into dust, and I took a rather hard fall into the cloud of spirits that were appearing around Minos- shimmering forms that slowly multiplied, solidifying into Cretan soldiers.

"I am the son of Hades!" Nico insisted. "Be gone!"

Minos laughed. "You have no power over me. I am the lord of spirits! The ghost king!"

"No," Nico growled, drawing his sword. "I am."

I watched in amazement as he stabbed his black blade into the floor, and it cleaved through the stone like butter.

"Never!" Minos roared as his form rippled. "I will not-"

The ground rumbled. The windows cracked and shattered into pieces, letting in a blast of fresh air. A fissure opened in the stone floor of the workshop, and Minos and all his spirits were sucked into a void with a horrible wail.

The bad news: the fight was still going on.

I was lucky that Mrs O'Leary was focused on the other giant as Daedalus scrambled for his sword.

Percy hadn't been so lucky. He and Annabeth had both gotten distracted. Kelli had pounced on them with blinding speed.

Annabeth cried out in pain as Kelli kicked her bronze leg at her abdomen, making her knife skittered away beside Riptide. Percy's head slammed hard against the worktable as he fell.

Kelli laughed. "You will taste wonderful."

I wasted no time in sprinting up the stairs. Just as she bared her fangs, I leapt off the side railing, landing on her back, Slasher tight in my hands.

My feet landed on her lower back, causing a loud snap to be heard. Slasher stabbed right into her upper back, where her heart was.

Kelli's body went rigid, and Annabeth and Percy stared at me with wide eyes. "No... school... spirit..." she croaked.

With an awful screech, Kelli dissolved into yellow vapor.

I quickly reached my hand out to help Annabeth and a very dizzy Percy up to their feet.

There was a distant roar from the tunnels.

"More monsters incoming!" Nico yelled.

"We have to help Daedalus!" Percy insisted.

"No time," Rachel cried. "Too many coming!"

She seemed to have already fitted herself with wings and was working on Nico, who looked pale and was very sweaty from his struggle with Minos. The wings grafted instantly to his back and arms.

"Now you!" Rachel told me.

In seconds, Annabeth, Percy, and I had fitted ourselves with coppery wings. Already, I could feel myself being lifted by the wind coming through the window. Greek fire was burning the tables and furniture, spreading up the circular stairs I'd just jumped off of.

"Daedalus!" Percy yelled. "Come on!"

He looked over at us, and I saw he was cut in about a hundred places- leaking golden oil instead of blood. He'd found his sword, and was using part of a smashed table as a shield against the remaining giant. "I won't leave Mrs O'Leary! Go!"

There was no time to argue. Even if we stayed, I wasn't sure how we could help with the fire raging around.

"None of us know how to fly!" Nico noted.

"Great time to find out," Percy said.

Then we all jumped out the window into the open sky.

Okay, real talk.

Jumping out a window five hundred feet aboveground is USUALLY NOT my idea of fun.

Especially when I'm wearing bronze wings and pretending I'm a duck alongside Percy.

"Holy SHIT!" I screamed, my eyes open in fear as I plummeted toward the valley and red rocks below. I was pretty sure if I didn't figure this out soon, I'd become a grease spot in the Garden of the Gods and not a neurosurgeon.

"Spread your arms!" Annabeth yelled from somewhere above me. "Keep them extended!"

Thank the gods that a small part of my brain wasn't too engulfed in panic and managed to hear her. My arms immediately extended, and as soon as I spread them out, the wings stiffened and caught the wind, making my descent slow. I soared downward now at a controlled angle, kind of like a kite in a dive.

I saw Percy flap his arms, so naturally, my mirror neurons kicked in and I imitated him.

This made me arch into the sky, the wind whistling in my ears.

"This is awesome now!" I yelled, smirking and seeing Percy whooping loudly alongside me.

The feeling was unbelievable. Now that I'd gotten the hang of it, I felt like I could do anything. The wings were now part of my body. I could soar and swoop and dive anywhere I wanted to.

I turned and saw Rachel, Annabeth, and Nico spiraling above me, glinting in the sunlight. Behind them, smoke billowed from the windows of Daedalus's workshop.

"Land!" Annabeth yelled. "These wings won't last forever!"

"How long?" Rachel yelled back.

"I don't want to find out!"

I decided it was safer to just listen. Didn't want to pull an Icarus.

We swooped down toward the Garden of the Gods. I somehow managed to so a complete circle around one of the rock spires and freaked out a couple climbers who seemed to have just noticed us flying by.

The five of us soared across the valley, over a road, and landed on the terrace of the visitor center. It was late afternoon and the place looked pretty empty, but we ripped off our wings as quickly as we could.

Looking at them, I could see Annabeth was right. The self-adhesive seals that bound the wings to our backs were already melting, and were shedding bronze feathers. For a moment the figure of the wings changed so I could see every gear turning inside, and noticed that the gears were not working so well. We'd gotten lucky. The wings had almost broken down with us still attached to them.

It seemed a shame for us to throw them away, but we couldn't fix them, and certainly couldn't leave them around for the mortals, so we stuffed them in trash bins outside the cafeteria.

Percy used the tourist binocular camera to look up at the hill where Daedalus's workshop had been, but it had vanished. No more smoke. No broken windows. Just the side of a hill.

"The workshop must've moved," Annabeth guessed. "There's no telling where."

"So what do we do now?" I asked. "How do we get back into the maze- if that's what we have to do."

Annabeth gazed at the summit of Pikes Peak in the distance. "Maybe we can't... but if we can, we should. If Daedalus died... he said his life force was tied to the Labyrinth. The whole thing might've been destroyed. Maybe that will stop Luke's invasion."

I gulped as my mind jumped from Luke and Ethan to Grover and Tyson. They were still down there somewhere.

I even considered Daedalus. Despite the fact he'd done some terrible things and put us all at risk, it seemed like a horrible way to die.

"No," Nico said. "He isn't dead."

"How can you be sure?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

"I know when people die," he said. "It's this feeling I get, like a buzzing in my ears."

"Oh I get you," I said, offering him a small smile. "I get this tingling feeling that urges me to sense things... like locations, and well now the whole 'seeing inside things.'"

"What about Tyson and Grover?" Percy butted in before Nico could respond.

Nico shook his head. "That's harder. They're not humans or half-bloods. They don't have mortal souls."

Percy looked crestfallen.

"We have to get into town," Annabeth decided after a few moments of silence. "Our chances will be better of finding an entrance to the Labyrinth. We have to make it back to camp before Luke and his army."

"We could just take a plane," Rachel said.

Percy shuddered. "I don't fly."

"But you just did," Rachel noted, glancing at the wings that now resided in the trash.

"That was low flying," Percy said. "And even that's risky. Flying up really high- that's Zeus's territory. I can't do it. Besides, we don't even have time for a flight. The Labyrinth is the quickest way back."

"Okay," Annabeth said. "We'll need a car to take us into the city."

"I'll go steal us one," I said at the same time Rachel said "I'll take care of it."

I looked at her. She grimaced, as if her way of 'taking care of it' was something she might regret.

"How would you take care of it?" Annabeth asked uncertainly.

"Just trust me," Rachel said.

"I could also just steal and hotwire one," I said, raising an eyebrow. "It's not a big problem for me."

"No," she said. "I've got it. Don't... steal anything."

I shrugged. "You're lucky I'm not as klepto as my siblings. Go ahead."

It was as my dad had said in Seattle. I was pretty different from the other Hermes kids.

I guess the godly genetics behind it all had decided if I was going to be rare and have all these cool powers, I'd need to be more level headed to handle them.

So I suppose that's why my ADHD isn't as bad as it is for my siblings and why I'm the least kleptomaniac out of all of them- including Luke.

Annabeth looked uneasily between Rachel and I. "Okay then. I'm going to go buy a prism in the gift shop, try and make a rainbow, and send an Iris message to Camp."

"I'll go with you," Nico said. "I'm hungry."

"Bring me something," I said. "I'm staying with Rachel."

Annabeth looked at Percy as if wondering who he'd go with.

"I'll stick with Rachel and Lydia," he said. "Meet you guys in the parking lot."

"Alright," Annabeth said, beginning to walk toward the building.

Nico looked over at me. "Any allergies?"

"Nah. But no chocolate- it makes me sick."

He nodded then followed Annabeth, making me turn back to Rachel, who looked mildly uncomfortable with Percy's presence.

Rachel headed down to a big black car parked at the edge of the lot. It was a chauffeured Lexus with, might I add, some pretty sweet wires and gears inside. I think I'm enjoying my new powers too much.

The driver sat in his seat, reading a newspaper. He wore a dark suit and tie, which reminded me of those in the Secret Service.

"What are you going to do?" Percy asked Rachel.

"Just wait here," she said miserably. "Please."

Percy gave me a weird look as Rachel marched straight up to the driver and talked to him. He frowned. Rachel said something else. He turned pale and very hastily folded up his magazine. He nodded and fumbled for his cell phone.

"Pfft," I said, tucking my arms into the pockets of my jacket. "I could have stolen and hotwired a car for each of us by now."

Percy let out a nervous laugh, still paying close attention to the driver.

After a brief call, he opened the back door of the car for Rachel to get in. She pointed back in Percy and I's direction, and the driver bobbed his head some more, as if saying 'yes ma'am, whatever you want.'

"Is it just me or is he acting flustered?" Percy asked.

"He is," I said, narrowing my eyes. "Gee, I guess he found her pretty."

"You've got competition," Percy noted.

"Oh haha," I said, making a face back at him. "I'd beat that mortal for her affection any day and I wouldn't even need Aphrodite's help."

"So why don't you?"

"She's straight."

"And you're still hung up on Ethan."

"Hey, don't come at me with that," I said, raising my hand. "You can give me shit when you solve yours, mkay?"

Percy looked confused. "Solve what?"

"Gods, you're oblivious," I said, face palming myself. "You'll figure it out someday, Cerebrospinal Fluid Head."

"What the heck is that?"

"It's the watery fluid around the surface of your brain, dummy. I would have called you 'Airhead,' which implies you have only air in your skull, but I thought it'd make more sense for you to have just cerebrospinal fluid."

"You are SUCH a nerd-"

"And you are SO clueless-"

"Back," Rachel announced in front of us, making me jump.

"Good timing," Percy squeaked, also mildly startled. Annabeth and Nico could be seen coming towards us.

Nico handed me a bag of chips, which I took gratefully.

Glad to see this kid doesn't hate me anymore.

"I talked to Chiron," Annabeth said, looking mostly at Percy. "They're doing their best to prepare for battle, but he still wants us back. They're going to need every hero they can get and well, you and Lydia are our best swordfighters. Did we find a ride?"

"Rachel did," I chirped.

Annabeth turned to Rachel, who nodded. "The driver's ready when we are."

The chauffeur was now talking to another guy in khakis and a polo shirt- probably the client who's rented the car. The client was complaining, but I could hear the driver saying "I'm sorry, sir. Emergency. I've ordered another car for you."

"Damn," I breathed, still fascinated with what Rachel had done.

"Dam," Percy emphasized, making me smirk and fist bump him.

That was still our inside joke with Grover and Thalia.

"Come on," Rachel said, awkwardly looking at Percy and I when we finished our fist bump. She led us to the car and got in without even looking at the flustered guy who'd rented it.

A minute later, we were cruising down the road. The seats were leather and there was a phenomenal amount of legroom. The backseat had flat-panel TVs built into the headrests and a mini-fridge stocked with bottled water, sodas, and snacks.

Obviously, we started pigging out.

"I have to admit, this is a nicer ride than what I would've stolen us," I said. "Although I MIGHT have succeeded at stealing this specific car."

Annabeth laughed nervously.

"Where to, Miss Dare?" The driver asked.

"I'm not sure yet," she replied. "We just need to drive through the town and er- look around."

"Whatever you say, miss."

Percy looked at Rachel. "So do you know this guy?"

"No."

"Really?" I asked incredulously. "But he just dropped everything to help you!"

"Just keep your eyes peeled," she mumbled. "Help me look."

I nodded slowly and turned to look out the window.

We drove through Colorado Springs for about half an hour and saw nothing that Rachel considered a possible Labyrinth entrance.

I was very aware of the fact that on my right, I could see Rachel's shoulder pressing against Percy's. Annabeth could see it too, and I could tell she was incredibly jealous.

I kept wondering who Rachel was, exactly, and how she could walk up to some random chauffeur and immediately get a ride. It'd make sense if she was a demigod- since some Hermes kids are incredibly persuasive and some Aphrodite children possess the ability of charmspeak.

But since she was mortal, it remained a mystery.

I sort of suspected perhaps she might be related to someone famous. But I didn't think it wise to ask her about it, so I opted into keeping my mouth shut.

After about an hour we decided to head north toward Denver, thinking that maybe a bigger city would be more likely to have a Labyrinth entrance, but we were all getting nervous. Especially me.

We were losing time. My brother could launch the attack at any moment.

Right as we were leaving Colorado Springs, Rachel sat bolt upright. "Get off the highway!"

The driver glanced back. "Miss?"

"I saw something- I think. Get off here."

He didn't hesitate to swerve across traffic and toward the entrance.

"What did you see?" Percy inquired.

Rachel ignored him, and had the driver turn down an unpromising dirt road- heading toward a museum of sorts.

"There," Rachel said, pointing at a hole on the side of a nearby hill behind the museum- a tunnel that was boarded up and chained. "An old mine entrance."

"A door to the Labyrinth?" Annabeth asked. "How can you be sure?"

"Well look at it! I mean... I can see it, okay?"

She quickly thanked the driver and we all got it. He didn't ask her for money or anything. "Are you sure you'll be all right, Miss Dare? I'd be happy to call your-"

"No!" Rachel said. "No, really. Thanks, Robert, but we're fine."

When we finally re-entered the Labyrinth, Annabeth didn't hesitate to follow Rachel and even struck up a conversation with her.

Annabeth seemed to be asking more about her background, but Rachel was evasive- so they started talking about architecture. As it turned out, Rachel knew something about it from studying art.

Percy and Nico then began to talk, so I awkwardly shuffled between them.

At least they were all bonding.

Rachel then suddenly stopped. We'd come to a crossroads. The tunnel continued straight ahead, but a side tunnel led off to the right- a circular shaft carved from volcanic rock.

Rachel stared down the dark tunnel. In the dim flashlight beam, her face looked like one of Nico's specters.

"Is it that way?" Annabeth asked.

"No," Rachel said nervously. "Not at all."

I inhaled and coughed. "It... it smells like Eucalyptus trees in here. Like how it did in California..." I gulped. "On Mount Tam."

"There's something evil down that tunnel," Rachel said. "Something very powerful."

I felt the tingle in the back of my head, and I blinked.

Next thing I knew, I could once again see a mini form of the tunnel in front of me. I saw how the inside of the walls had metal poles plastered in between wooden beams. I could see a winding tunnel leading into a room with a domed ceiling with limestone lining its walls.

The location also appeared immediately.

"Here we go again," I mumbled. "Mount Tamalpais, San Francisco. This is the Titan palace of Mount Othrys."

I instinctively touched the scar on my cheek.

"I have to check it out," I said immediately.

"No!" Annabeth cried.

"Luke could be right here," I said. "Or Kronos- I just have to find out."

"Okay, then we'll all go."

"No- it is far too dangerous," I said, looking her in the eye. "If they get ahold of Nico or Rachel- Kronos could use them."

"What about me?" She protested.

"He's manipulated you too many times before," I muttered, making her frown. "And you need to keep them safe AND stop Percy from following me."

"Hey!" Percy cried indignantly.

I shook my head. "Only I will go. He's my brother. And Ethan... won't let them kill me right away. I'll have a chance at a fight if it comes to that."

"Fine," Annabeth said bitterly.

"No!" Rachel shrieked. "Don't go there alone!"

"It'll be quick, and I'll be fine," I promised.

Annabeth took her Yankees cap out of her pocket. "At least take this. And don't be stupid, Lydia."

"Aw you know me so well," I said with a wink. "But I'm a Red Sox fan. Thought you knew."

"Lydia!"

"Okay, okay. Thanks. Be back soon."

I put it on and sneaked down the tunnel.

I hadn't even made it to the domed room when I heard the voices of telekhines.

I inched closer, and got a blast of cold air to the face.

Below me, the Pacific Ocean spread out under the cloudy gray sky. About twenty feet downhill, two telekhines were placing something long and thin wrapped in black cloth on a rock. Beside them, the familiar figure of Ethan was helping them open it.

"Careful, fool," one telekhine scolded. "One touch, and the blade will sever your soul from your body."

Ethan swallowed nervously. "Maybe I'll let you unwrap it, then."

The telekhine did so. "There!" Reverently, he lifted the weapon, and my blood turned to ice.

It was a scythe- a six foot long blade curved like a crescent moon, with a wooden handle wrapped in leather. The blade glinted two different colors- steel and bronze. It was the weapon of Kronos, the one he'd used to slice up his father Ouranos before the gods had taken it away from him and cut Kronos to pieces, casting him into Tartarus. Now the weapon was re-forged.

"We must sanctify it in blood," the telekhine said. "Then you, half-blood, shall help present it when the lord awakens."

I immediately sprinted toward the fortress ahead, fearing that the theory I'd mentioned before was true.

I dashed through the foyer and into the main hall. The floor shined like a mahogany piano- pure black and yet full of light. Blue marble statues lined the walls- the faces of Titans who ruled before the gods. At the end of the room between two bronze braziers, was a dais with a golden sarcophagus.

I approached it immediately, drawing Slasher for security.

I had in mind that if I opened it and saw a body for Kronos, I'd strike it through with my sword and prevent it from ever getting its hands on the scythe.

My free hand reached out to touch the lid. My fingertips immediately turned blue and I flinched as frost gathered over my sword.

I then heard noises behind me- voices approaching. I pushed back the golden lid of the sarcophagus and it fell to the floor with a loud 'WHOOM!'

I tiptoed, and looked inside.

I wish my theory had been wrong.

I wish my brother's body wasn't the one lying inside.


	15. I Get An Unpleasant Death Threat

I wish I had stabbed him.

But honest to the gods, I just couldn't.

I was too stunned. I didn't understand. How could he be so stupid? How could he let himself do this? Why?

Then the voices of the telekhines were right behind me.

"What has happened?" One of the demons screamed when he saw the lid. I stumbled away from the dais, momentarily forgetting that I was invisible, and hid behind a column as they approached.

I noticed Ethan look around quickly, almost as if he suspected I was here.

"Careful!" The other demon warned. "Perhaps he stirs. We must present the gifts now! Immediately!"

The two telekhines shuffled forward and knelt, holding up the scythe on its wrapping cloth.

"My lord," one said, "your symbol of power is remade."

Silence. Luke said nothing from the coffin.

"You fool!" The other telekhine muttered. "He requires the half-blood first. Lieutenant Nakamura? You recall we discussed that he requires a proper pledge of your allegiance?"

"Yes," Ethan said, bowing his head. "Tell me what I must say."

"It is simple," the telekhine continued. "You must pledge him your unwavering service for the rest of your days and renounce the gods. That is all."

"No!" I screamed.

It it was probably the stupidest thing I've ever done, and as you know I've done a lot of stupid things. But this probably topped them all.

I took off the cap and thrust it into my pocket. "Ethan, don't!"

"Lydia?" He cried, whirling around to face me.

"Trespasser!" One telekhine hissed, baring its teeth. "The master will deal with you soon enough. Hurry, boy!"

But Ethan was now hesitating, his one good eye fixated on me.

"Ethan," I pleaded, stepping forward. The telekhines did nothing, and instead looked at Ethan intently, expecting him to swat me away.

He didn't, and let me take his hand.

"Please don't do this," I said, looking up at him. "Please don't listen to them. Help me destroy him. If I mean anything to you... reconsider."

I swear for a moment, he really did.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking away. Out of shame, he couldn't meet my gaze. "I really am. But I told you to join me."

"No, Ethan," I pleaded as he withdrew his hand. "No— seriously— think about what you're doing—"

"Silence, Lydia!" He snapped, turning toward the sarcophagus. "I renounce the gods! What have they ever done for me? My lord Kronos, I have already begun to serve you and I have done it well. I will see to it that the gods are destroyed. I serve you, Kronos."

The building is rumbled. A wisp of blue light rose from the floor at Ethan's feet. It drifted toward the coffin and begin to shimmer, like a cloud of pure energy. Then it descended into the sarcophagus.

Luke sat bolt upright. His eyes opened, and I saw they were no longer blue like mine. Instead, they were golden, the same color as the coffin.

He leapt out of the coffin with ease, and where his feet touch the floor, the marble froze like craters of ice.

He looked at Ethan and the telekhines with those horrible golden eyes, as if he were a newborn baby, not sure what he was seeing.

Then he looked at me, and a devilish smile of recognition crept across his mouth.

"This body has been well prepared," he said, his voice now nothing like my brother's. It was evil, like a razor blade running over my skin. To an extent it was still Luke's voice— but not the same one that had once me how to tie my shoes and how to hold a sword. Underneath his voice was another, more horrible sound— an ancient, cold sound like metal scraping against rock. "Don't you think so, Lydia Castellan?"

I couldn't respond. I couldn't even move.

Kronos threw back his head and laughed. The scar across his face rippled.

"Luke feared you," the titan's voice said. "Can you imagine? He was afraid of you, his little sister. He was jealous, yes... and that hatred he had was a powerful tool to keep him obedient. For that I thank you."

Ethan staggered back, his mouth open in terror. I could see so much regret on his face that I almost felt sorry for him. I don't think he'd imagined it would be this bad.

Even the telekhines trembled as they held up his scythe.

Finally, it seemed like I found my nerve. I lunged and swiped Slasher through the air. It should have cut deep into his chest, but it didn't. His skin deflected the blow like he was made of pure steel. Kronos looked at me with amusement before flicking his hand, and making me fly across the room.

I slammed against a pillar and crumpled to the floor, letting out a small cry of pain.

I struggled to my feet, blinking the stars out of my eyes. It was too late though. Kronos was already grasping the handle of his scythe.

"Ah, much better," he said. "Backbiter, Luke called it. An appropriate name, now that it is reforged completely. It shall indeed bite back. One day, perhaps, Lydia Castellan, you'll have the honor of being run through with it."

I gritted my teeth. "What have you done to Luke?"

Kronos raised his scythe. "He served me with his whole being, as I required. The difference is, he feared you, Lydia Castellan. And your friend Percy Jackson too. But I fear neither."

"So you were too weak, and needed a body?" I spat.

"Lydia," Ethan said in a warning tone, looking afraid for me.

Kronos was no longer grinning. "Perhaps the time for you to get run through with this scythe is now."

It seems that right then and there, my fight or flight response was finally activated.

I ran. I didn't even give it much thought. But with every single ounce of stamina and speed I got from having Hermes as I father, I sprinted and sprinted, desperately trying to get back into the Labyrinth.

But my feet suddenly felt like tremendously heavy lead. Time slowed down around me, like the world was turning to Jell-O.

That's when I remembered what Kronos was the titan of. His presence was so strong, it could bend time itself.

"Run, little girl!" He laughed. "Run!"

I snapped my head back and saw him approaching leisurely, swinging his scythe as if he were enjoying the feeling of having it in his hands again. No weapon in the world could stop him. No amount of celestial bronze.

Behind him I could hear and see Ethan yelling for me while the telekhines held him back.

I honestly thought I was going to die.

Kronos was ten feet away from me when I heard "LYDIA!"

It was Rachel.

Something flew past me, and a blue plastic hairbrush hit Kronos right in the eye.

"Ow!" He yelled. For a moment, it was only Luke's voice, full of surprise and pain. My limbs were freed and I bolted straight into Rachel, Nico, Percy, and Annabeth, who were standing in the entry hall, their eyes filled with dismay.

"Luke?" Annabeth cried. "What—?"

"Just run!" I yelled, grabbing her and Rachel by the shirt and hauling them after me. I ran as fast as I've probably ever run, straight out of the fortress.

We were almost back to the Labyrinth entrance when I heard the loudest bellow in the world— the voice of Kronos coming back into control. "AFTER THEM!"

"No!" Nico yelled. He clapped his hands together, and a jagged spire of rock the size of an eighteen wheeler erupted it from the ground right in front of the fortress. The tremor it caused was so powerful the front columns of the building came crashing down. I heard muffled screams from the telekhines inside, and a slight yell from Ethan. Dust billowed everywhere, and the only thing I wondered was if Ethan was okay.

We plunged into the Labyrinth and kept running, the howl of the Titan lord shaking the entire world behind us.

We ran until we were exhausted. Rachel steered us away from traps, but we had no destination in mind— only to get as far away from that dark mountain and the roar of Kronos as possible.

We stopped in a tunnel of wet white rock, like part of a natural cave. I couldn't hear anything behind us, but I didn't feel any safer.

I could still remember those horrible, unnatural golden eyes staring out of Luke's face, and the feeling that my limbs were slowly turning to stone, and the dread that my own brother was going to run me through with his scythe.

"I can't go any farther," Rachel gasped, hugging her chest.

Annabeth had been crying the entire time we been running. Now she collapsed and put her head between her knees. Her sobs echoed in the tunnel. Nico and Percy set next to each other a bit aways from her.

I struggled to catch my breath, feeling myself about ready to cry as well. I didn't want to let myself cry, since I'd always been taught it was a weak gesture on my part.

But I really needed to.

Annabeth lifted her head as I leaned against the wall, my chest feeling horribly tight.

"What... what was wrong with Luke?" She sobbed, her eyes red from crying. "What did they do to him?"

I didn't sugarcoat it. I told her exactly what I'd seen in the coffin— and just how the last piece of Kronos's spirit had entered Luke when Ethan pledged his service.

"In conclusion," I said in a hoarse voice, my hand rubbing my chest. "My theory was right. He gave his body to Kronos."

"No," Annabeth said immediately. "That can't be true. He couldn't—"

"He gave himself over to Kronos," I said a bit sharply. "I'm sorry Annabeth. But he's gone."

"No!" She insisted. "You saw when Rachel hit him!"

I nodded, and looked at Rachel with respect.

"You hit the Lord of the Titans in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush," Percy noted.

Rachel looked embarrassed. "It was the only thing I had. And I couldn't let my girlfriend get killed."

I knew she was trying to lighten the mood so I laughed breathily, but Annabeth just scowled.

"But you SAW, Lydia," she said. "When it hit him, just for a second, he was dazed. He came back to his senses."

"Okay, so maybe Kronos wasn't completely settled in the body, or whatever," I wheezed, feeling light headed as I swallowed more tears back. "It doesn't mean Luke was in control."

"What is the matter with you?" She snarled, looking furious. "You WANT him to be evil, is that it? He's your BROTHER! You knew him before!"

"I don't want him to be evil, dumbass!" I spat. "Why would you say that? I THOUGHT YOU WERE THE ATHENA KID HERE!"

"Well you're being a downright BITCH about it all, Lydia, and you gave up on him so long ago—"

"DO YOU THINK HE WOULD HAVE GIVEN ME THIS SCAR IF HE CARED, ANNABETH?" I said, thrusting an angry finger at the scar on my cheek. "HE WAS ALREADY TOO FAR GONE!"

"NO! YOU JUST DIDN'T CARE ENOUGH ABOUT HIM—"

"YOU JUST CAN'T ACCEPT THAT I OUTSMARTED YOU ON THE THEORY BEHIND IT ALL! AND WHAT, ARE YOU STILL ALL HUNG UP—"

"YOU'RE JUST A HEARTLESS BITCH WHO DOESN'T CARE ABOUT HER OWN BROTHER—"

"KNOCK IT OFF!" Rachel yelled.

I staggered back, gasping for air, feeling my skin burning from how furious I was.

"Lydia sit down, you're incredibly pale and I think you're dehydrated," Rachel said sharply. "And Annabeth—"

"Stay out of it, mortal girl!" Annabeth snapped. "If it wasn't for you..."

Whatever she was going to say was lost when her voice broke. She put her head down and sobbed miserably.

My hands were shaking as Rachel handed me a water bottle.

The water hadn't even reached my lips when I collapsed.

________

When I woke up, I heard a new voice, and saw an old yet powerful looking satyr laying in a bed.

"...daughter of Athena, your time is coming. You will play a great role, though it may not be the role you imagined."

I groggily looked up, and felt the tingle in my brain.

We seemed to be Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico.

"Master Cyclops, do mot despair. Heroes rarely live up to our expectations. But you, Tyson— your name shall live among Cyclopes for generations. And Miss Rachel Dare..."

From what I could see, I was laying comfortably on some grass beside the bed.

"...I know you believe you cannot make amends, but you are just as important as your father."

"I—" Rachel faltered, and I could see a tear trace her cheek.

"I know you don't believe this now," the satyr said. "But look for opportunities, they will come."

He then turned and saw me, and a smile appeared on his face.

"You've awakened, Lydia Castellan," he said.

The others snapped their heads to look at me. I rolled onto my side and slowly got up.

"Your friends have carried you here," he said. "And they have found Grover and Tyson alongside me."

"Wait a minute," I said, getting onto my feet. I blinked a few times. "Are you... Pan? Lord of the Wild."

He nodded. "That I am. Grover and Tyson have found me."

I noticed that the figure kneeling before Pan was indeed Grover without his rasta cap. Tears glistened in his eyes.

"Amazing," I breathed.

Pan smiled. "Lydia Castellan, I know what you have seen today. I know how much your heart aches, even if you do not let others see it. You too will play a great role. Do not despair."

I nodded slowly, and went to stand beside Rachel.

"My dear satyr," Pan said, turning to Grover. "Will you carry my message?"

"I-I can't," Grover said.

"You can. You are the strongest and the bravest. Your heart is true. You have believed in me more than anyone ever has, which is why you must bring the message, and why you must be the first to release me."

"I don't want to..."

"I know," the god said. "But my name, Pan... Originally it meant _rustic_. Did you know that? But over the years it has come to mean _all_. The spirit of the wild must pass to all of you now. You must tell each one you meet: if you were to find Pan, take up Pan's spirit. Remake the wild, a little at a time, each your own corner of the world. You cannot wait for anyone else, even a god, to do that for you."

Grover wiped his eyes. Then slowly he stood. "I've spent my whole life looking for you. Now... I release you."

Pan smiled. "Thank you, dear satyr. My final blessing."

He closed his eyes, and the god dissolved. White mist divided into wisps of energy, but this kind of energy wasn't scary like the blue power I'd seen from Kronos. It filled the room. A curl of smoke went straight into my mouth, and Grover's, and the others— but I think a little more of it went into Grover. The crystals dimmed. The animals give us a sad look. A dodo bird that I'd just noticed sighed.

Then they all turned gray and crumbled to dust. The vines all around us withered. Soon we were alone in a dark cave, with an empty bed.

"Why did I have to faint?" I said softly as I turned on my flashlight.

Beside me, Grover sighed.

"Are... are you okay?" Percy asked him.

He looked older and sadder. He took his rasta cap from Annabeth's hands, brushed off the mud on it, and stuck it firmly on his curly head.

"We should go now," he said, "and tell them. The great god Pan is dead."

_________

Distance was shorter in the Labyrinth. Still, by the time Rachel got us back to Times Square, I felt like we pretty much ran all the way from New Mexico.

We climbed out of the Marriott basement and stood on the sidewalk in the bright summer daylight, squinting at the traffic and crowds.

Percy led us into an alleyway, then whistled as loud as he could a good six times.

A minute later, Rachel gasped. "They're beautiful!"

A flock of pegasi descended from the sky, sweeping between the skyscrapers. Blackjack was in the lead, followed by five of his white pegasus friends.

" _Yo boss_!" I heard Blackjack tell Percy. " _You lived_!"

I couldn't hear Percy's reply since THEIR conversation was in his head thanks to his son of Poseidon perks.

" _That's my specialty_!" Blackjack said. " _Oh man, you got that Cyclops with you? Yo, Guido! How's your back holding up_?"

The Pegasus Guido groaned and complained. But luckily, he agreed to carry Tyson.

As everyone except Rachel began saddling up, I approached Blackjack.

" _Hi bud_ ," I said, patting his head. " _Remember me?_ "

" _Kind of hard to forget you. You always steal me some donuts_!" He nickered.

" _Sorry I don't have some this time_ ," I said. " _I'll get you some next time_."

" _Sounds good to me_!"

I smiled and walked over to where Nico was trying to mount a pegasus. The pegasus seemed reluctant to let him on, and kept shying away from him.

" _What's going on_?" I chirped to the pegasus.

" _He smells like dead people_!" He complained. " _And wow— you're talking to me. You're not a daughter of Poseidon_."

" _Daughter of Hermes_ ," I chuckled. " _I can speak every language on earth— including pegasi. Now come on, let him on_."

" _He smells bad_!"

" _Hey now_ ," Blackjack said as he trotted over. " _Come on, Porkpie. Lotsa demigods smell weird. It ain't their fault_."

" _Why thank you, Blackjack_ ," I said happily.

Nico looked confused, and simply shook his head.

"Just go without me," he groaned. "I don't want to go back to that camp anyway."

"Nico, we need your help," I said. "Please."

He folded his arms and scowled.

Annabeth came over. She looked sideways to where Percy was saying goodbye to Rachel, then glanced at me, before finally putting her hand on his shoulder. "Please, Nico."

Slowly, his expression softened. "All right," he said reluctantly. "For you. But I'm not staying."

I raised an eyebrow at Annabeth, like, _how come all of a sudden he listens to you_? She stuck her tongue out at me. I rolled my eyes and smiled.

It seemed like we were back to normal.

Once Percy returned, we managed to get everyone on a Pegasus. We then shot into the air, and soon we were over the East river with Long Island spread out before us.

We landed in the middle of the cabin area and were immediately met by Chiron, the potbellied satyr Silenus, and a couple of Apollo cabin archers.

Chiron raised an eyebrow when he saw Nico, but if I expected him to be surprised by our latest news about Quintus being Daedalus, or Kronos rising, I was mistaken.

"I feared as much," Chiron said. "We must hurry. Hopefully you have slowed down the Titan lord, but his vanguard will still be coming through. They will be anxious for blood. Most of our defenders are already in place. Come!"

"Wait a moment," Silenus demanded. "What of the search for Pan? You are almost three weeks overdue, Grover Underwood! Your searcher's license is revoked!"

Grover took a deep breath. He stood up straight and looked Silenus in the eye. "Searcher's licenses don't matter anymore. The great god Pan is dead. He has passed on and left us his spirit."

"What?" Silenus's face turned bright red. "Sacrilege and lies! Grover Underwood, I will have you exiled for speaking this!"

"It's true," Percy said. "We were there when he died. All of us."

"Impossible! You are all liars! Nature-destroyers."

I wanted to dropkick Silenus, but Chiron cut me off.

"We will speak of this later."

"We will speak of it now!" Silenus cried. "We must deal with this—"

"Silenus," Chiron cut in. "My camp under attack. The matter of Pan has waited two thousand years. I fear it will have to wait a bit longer. Assuming we are still here this evening."

And on that happy note, he readied to his bow and galloped toward the woods, leaving us to follow as best as we could.

What ensued was is the biggest military operation I'd ever seen at camp. Everyone was at the clearing, dressed in full battle armor, but this time it wasn't for capture the flag. The Hephaestus cabin had set up traps around the entrance to the Labyrinth— razor wire, pits filled with pots of Greek fire, and even rows of sharpened sticks to deflect a charge.

Charles Beckendorf was manning two catapults the size of pickup trucks, already primed and aimed at Zeus's Fist.

The Ares cabin was on the front line, drilling in phalanx formation with Clarisse calling orders. The Apollo cabin and members of the Hermes cabin including all my siblings were scattered in the woods with bows at the ready. A few of the smaller campers with good eyesight had taken positions up in trees. Even the dryads were armed with bows, and the satyrs trotted around with wooden cudgels and shields made of rough tree bark.

I immediately ran towards Travis and Connor, who were commanding everyone else on their positions.

"Hey!" Travis said excitedly. "Big sis is back. Your turn to give orders."

"Travis here took charge since he was the oldest Hermes kid present," Connor chirped. "I'm glad you're back so I don't have to listen to him. You're more tolerable."

"Gee, thanks," I said, rolling my eyes and ruffling their hair. "But you got it all covered. Excellent job, you two. I'm a super proud big sis."

Both boys swelled with pride as I took my place between them.

Annabeth, meanwhile, had joined her brethren from the Athena cabin, who had set up a command tent and were directing operations. A gray banner with an owl fluttered outside the tent. Our security chief Argus stood guard at the door.

Aphrodite's children were running around straightening everybody's armor and offering to come the tangles out of our horsehair plumes. It was a bit surprising for me to see, but I was glad that they were doing their best to help. I could see Silena Beauregard, Aphrodite's senior counselor, was helping adjust Beckendorf's armor. When she finished she pressed a quick kiss on his lips. I smirked, and shook my head.

Even Dionysus's kids had found something to do. The god himself was still nowhere to be seen, but his two blonde twin sons were running around providing all the sweaty warriors with water bottles and juice boxes.

"Thanks Cas," I told one of them— Castor— when he stuck a straw in a juice box for me and popped it into my mouth.

"No problem," he said with a smile. "Glad to have you back, Queen Castellan. You still need to teach me how to hold a sword properly, okay?"

"You got it," I said, winking as one of the newer Aphrodite campers, Drew Tanaka, began to straighten my armor.

"Thanks," I said, not really giving her a second look since I'd only spoken to her once before.

"Shouldn't you be fighting with the enemy?" She said in a low voice, filled with venom.

I narrowed my eyes and looked at her. "Say some shit like that to me again and even your mother won't be able to fix your newly fucked up face."

She flinched, probably not having been expecting me to react like that, and quickly darted away.

Bitch.

I looked around as I drew Slasher, seeing everything looked well set up.

But even I knew it wasn't enough.

"Lydia!"

I turned and saw Chiron waving me over.

I jogged to his side, and saw he looked grim.

"I want you and Percy to stand here with me," he said. "You are our two best swordsmen. When the fight begins, I want you to wait until we know what we're dealing with. You must go where we most need reinforcements."

I nodded and gulped. "Chiron... I saw Kronos. I looked straight into his eyes. It was Luke but... not my brother, Luke."

Chiron ran his fingers along his bowstring. "He had golden eyes, I would guess. And in his presence, time seemed to turn liquid."

I nodded again. "How could he even take over a mortal body?"

"I do not know, Lydia. Gods have assumed the shapes of mortals for ages, but to actually become one... to merge the divine form with the mortal.... I don't know how this could be done without Luke's form turning into ashes."

"Kronos said his body had been prepared. And when I tried to stab him, his skin was like... tough as steel."

"I shudder to think what that means. That fact is indeed curious... alas.... perhaps it will limit Kronos's power. For a time, at least, he's confined to a human form. It binds him together. Hopefully it also restricts him."

"I have a theory," I mumbled. "And it's not a good one. Last time my theory of Luke hosting him was right, even when I hadn't been sure if it was possible."

Chiron sighed deeply. "For now we can remain hopeful it is only a theory. What is it?"

"That Luke bathed in the Styx before accepting. I had started thinking about Achilles and remembered the Styx..."

Chiron winced. "Your theory is... very possible, Lydia. I hope it is not true."

I grimaced. "I hope so too. Chiron... if he's leading the attack, please let me take him."

"Oh no," he said. "I do not think he is leading the attack, my dear. I would sense if he were drawing near. No doubt he planned to, but I believe that you inconvenienced him when you pulled down his throne room on top of him." He looked at me, then at Percy, who'd been listening beside me. "You and your friend Nico, son of Hades."

I looked down in shame. I'd known since before, and had never told him.

"I'm sorry, Chiron," Percy said immediately. "I know I should've told you. I just—"

"No, I understand why you both did it," Chiron said. "You felt responsible. You sought to protect him. But Percy, Lydia.... if we are to survive this war, we must trust each other. We must—"

His voice wavered. The ground underneath us was trembling.

Everyone in the clearing stopped what they were doing. Clarisse barked a single order. "Lock shields!"

Then the Titan lord's army exploded from the Labyrinth.


	16. Mrs. O'Leary Assists Me With Murder

As you already know, I've been in fights before. But this was a whole other level a fight. This was a full-scale battle, and I honestly have never been in one of those— except if you count video games.

The first thing I saw were a dozen Laistrygonian giants erupting from the ground, yelling so loudly my ears felt like bursting. They carried shields made from flattened cars, and clubs that were tree trunks with rusty spikes bristling at the end.

One of the giants bellowed at the Ares phalanx, smashed it sideways with his club, and the entire cabin was thrown aside, a dozen warriors tossed to the wind like a ragdolls.

"Fire!" Beckendorf yelled.

The catapult swung into action. Two boulders hurtled toward the giants. One deflected off a car shield with hardly a dent, but the other caught a Laistrygonian in the chest, and the giant went down. Apollo's archers fired a volley, dozens of arrow sticking in the thick armor of the giants like porcupine quills. Several found chinks in armor and some of the giants vaporized at the touch of celestial bronze.

But just when it looked like perhaps the Laistrygonians were about to get overwhelmed, the next wave surged out of the maze: thirty, maybe forty dracaenae in full battle armor, wielding spears and nets.

They dispersed in all directions. Some hit the traps the Hephaestus cabin had laid. One got stuck on the spikes and became an easy target for archers. Another triggered a tripwire, and pots of Greek fire exploded into green flames, engulfing several of the snake women.

But many more kept coming. Argus and Athena's warriors rushed forward to meet them. I saw Annabeth draw a sword and engage one of them. Nearby, Tyson was riding a giant. Somehow he'd managed to climb onto the giant's back and was hitting him on the head with a bronze shield.

Percy and I waited anxiously beside Chiron, who calmly aimed arrow after arrow, taking down a monster with every shot. But more enemies just kept climbing out of the maze. Finally a hellhound— not Mrs. O'Leary— leapt put of the tunnel and barreled straight toward the satyrs.

"GO!" Chiron yelled.

Percy and I both charged immediately.

As I raced across the battlefield, I saw horrible things. An enemy half-blood I didn't recognize was fighting with the son of Dionysus— I think it was Pollux— but it wasn't much of a contest. The demigod stabbed Pollux in the arm then clubbed him over the head with the butt of his sword, and Dionysus's son went down.

Another enemy warrior shot flaming arrows into the trees, sending our archers and dryads into a panic.

A dozen dracaenae suddenly broke away from the main fight and slithered down the path that led toward camp, like they knew where they were going. If they got out, they could burn down the entire place, completely unopposed.

The only other person anywhere near Percy and I was Nico. He stabbed a telekhine, and his black Stygian blade absorbed the monster's essence, drinking its energy until there was nothing left but dust.

"Nico!" I screamed, pointing at the dracaenae.

He looked and immediately understood. He took a dee breath and held out his black sword. "Serve me," he called.

The earth trembled. A fissure open in front of the dracaenae, and a dozen undead warriors crawled from the earth— horrible corpses in military uniforms from all different time periods— US Revolutionaries, Roman centurions, Napoleonic cavalry on skeleton horses. As one, they drew their swords and engaged the dracaenae. Nico crumpled to his knees, but I didn't have time to make sure he was okay.

Percy and I closed on the hellhound, which was now pushing the satyrs back toward the woods. The beast snapped at one satyr, who danced out of its way, but then it pounced on another who was too slow. The satyr's tree bark shield cracked as he fell.

"Hey!" Percy yelled.

The hellhound turned. It snarled at us and leapt.

I ducked under it and held Slasher up, impaling the beast in its chest.

Unfortunately, I remained too close to its paw. It growled and swatted me away into a bunch of rocks, then prepared to pounce onto me.

Percy came to my rescue. He sprinted to where I was and tossed a jar of Greek fire straight at the hellhound's maw, and the creature went up in flames. I scrambled out.

"Thanks!" I cried.

"Don't mention it!" He said, rushing over to check on the satyr that'd been trampled, as it wasn't moving.

Suddenly, Grover yelled. "Percy!"

I whirled around and saw that a forest fire had started. Flames roared within ten feet of Juniper's tree, and Juniper and Grover were going nuts trying to save it. Grover played a rain song on his pipes. Juniper desperately tried to beat out the flames with her green shawl, but it was only making things worse.

"I got the satyr!" I yelled.

Percy nodded and sprinted back towards them.

I quickly bolted to the satyr and felt for his pulse. A few other satyrs gathered around in worry.

"He's alive!" I said, putting my hands on the satyr's chest. I closed my eyes and concentrated.

Even through my eyelids I could see my hands glowing, and managed to hear some anguished screams from nearby dracaenae as they were blinded.

When I opened my eyes I saw several satyrs had taken advantage of the situation. They'd known to turn away when the glow appeared, and had beaten the dracaenae over the head with their shields as the snake woman held their eyes in pain.

The satyr under me let out a gasp and sat up, his eyes wide.

"Take him to someplace safe to recover," I said, quickly getting to my feet.

I'd just turned my head to look for Pecy when I saw an enormous wall of water come rushing down through the trees. It immediately doused the fire that'd been started and even Juniper and Grover.

Grover blew out a spout of water. "Thanks Percy!"

I followed them all back into the battle, which was now centered at the edge of the clearing with Ares and Athena fighting while Apollo and Hermes attacked from around with arrows and other sorts of things— like a huge tree branch I think might've been courtesy of the Stolls.

I immediately jumped in and began fighting alongside Clarisse, who was cursing like a sailor as she battled one of the Laistrygonians by herself.

"Figured you could use a hand!" I said, diving under the giant's legs and swinging myself around to slice through the giant's thigh.

It roared and collapsed onto its knees.

"Not really, Little Castellan, but whatever," Clarisse said with a scowl as she threw her spear. It lodged into the giant's chest, making it burst into dust.

"You know you appreciate it," I said with a sweet smile as I bolted forward to aid Malcolm from Athena.

Just when it seemed like the battle had balanced out again— like we might stand a chance— an unearthly shriek echoed out of the Labyrinth, a sound I had heard before.

The scar on my back tingled as Kampê shot into the sly, her bronze scimitars in her waistband, and her bat wings fully extended.

She landed on the top of Zeus's Fist and surveyed the carnage. Her face was filled with evil glee. The mutant animal heads growled at her waist. Snakes hissed and swirled around her legs.

In her right hand she held a glittering ball of thread— Ariadne's string— but she plopped it into a lion's mouth at her waist and drew her curved swords. The blades glowed green with poison.

Kampê shrieked in triumph, and some of the campers screamed. Others tried to run and got trampled by hellhounds or giants.

"Di immortales!" Chiron yelled. He quickly aimed an arrow, but Kampê seemed to sense his presence. She took flight with amazing speed, and Chiron's arrow whizzed harmlessly past her head.

I sprinted back immediately, trying to find Percy.

I passed by Tyson, who'd untangled himself from the giant he'd pummeled into unconsciousness. He ran at our lines, shouting, "Stand! Do not run from her! Fight!"

But then a hellhound leapt on him, and Tyson and the hound went rolling away.

Kampê landed on the Athena command tent, smashing it flat, just as I reached Percy's side. Annabeth joined our side immediately, her sword in her hand.

"This might be it," she said.

"Could be," I said as nonchalantly as possible.

"Nice fighting with you, Seaweed Brain and Little Castellan."

"Ditto," Percy said.

"Shall we, for old times sake?" I asked.

"Definitely."

Together we leapt into the monster's path.

Kampê hissed and sliced at us.

I stayed right in front of her, trying to distract her, while Annabeth and Percy went in for a strike at either side of me.

"Hey ugly!" I called. "Remember me? Guess you couldn't kill me, huh? Weak!"

She roared furiously, slashing her scimitars wildly in the air. She seemed to be able to fight with both hands independently, which sucked for us. She blocked Annabeth's sword at the same time as she parried a strike from Percy, and I had to jump in to stop Annabeth from being poisoned. All around the blade was a sort of cloud of it— kind of like an acid fog.

As I fought, my eyes burned horribly. My lungs couldn't get enough air. I knew we wouldn't be able to hold our ground much longer.

"Come on!" Percy shouted. "We need help!"

But no help came. Everyone was either down, or fighting for their lives, or too scared to move forward. Three of Chiron's arrows sprouted from Kampê's chest, but she just roared louder.

"Now!" I cried in desperation.

Together we all charged, dodged the monster's slashes, got inside her guard, and almost... almost managed to stab her in the chest, but a huge bear's head lashed out from the monster's waist, and we had to stumble backwards to avoid getting bitten.

SLAM!

I screamed as Kampê launched herself at Percy and Annabeth, swatting me aside with her arm.

I flew into the air and skidded across the ground, screaming as I felt my dominant hand's wrist snap. Slasher flew out of my hand and landed beside me.

Meanwhile, Kampê had knocked Annabeth and Percy onto the ground and pushed her forelegs into their chests.

She raised her scimitars, and I knew I had seconds to reach them before she stabbed them.

There was a sudden howl. A wall of darkness slammed into Kampê, sending her sideways. Mrs. O'Leary was standing over Annabeth and Percy, snarling and snapping at Kampê.

"Good girl!" Said a familiar voice. Daedalus was fighting his way out of the Labyrinth, slashing down enemies left and right as he made his way toward us. Next to him was someone else— a familiar giant— much taller than the Laistrygonians, with a hundred rippling arms, each holding a huge chunk of rock.

"Briares!" Tyson cried in wonder.

"Halt, little brother!" Briares bellowed. "Stand firm!"

He began to launch a volley of boulders at the monsters around us.

Meanwhile, Mrs. O'Leary snapped right in Kampê's face.

I forced myself up and took Slasher with my non dominant hand, glad that I was still able to fight with this one.

I ran to where the hellhound was, and stood between her legs as Kampê raised her scimitars, ready to attack Mrs O'Leary.

Luckily, Mrs O'Leary's size managed to conceal me as I ducked out and dove around to be behind Kampê.

I leapt up and with a hard stab, Slasher sank into her back and went through her chest.

She roared, and I jumped back immediately as she swung her blades around to try and get me.

Mrs O'Leary howled, signaling for Briares, who launched the remaining boulders onto the ancient monster.

Where Kampê had stood a moment before was a mountain of boulders almost as tall as Zeus's Fist. The only sign that the monster had ever existed were the two green sword points sticking through the cracks.

"Very good girl!" I squealed, patting Mrs O'Leary's back with my good hand. She wagged her tail, nearly swatting Percy away as he helped Annabeth up.

A cheer went up from the campers as Briares finished launching the boulders, which had flattened several Laistrygonians.

One of the dracaenae immediately yelled, "Ssssssslay them! Kill them all or Kronossssss will flay you alive!"

Apparently, that threat was more terrifying than we were. The giants surged forward in the last desperate attempt. One surprised Chiron with a glancing blow to the back legs, and he stumbled and fell. Six giants cried in glee and rushed forward.

"No!" I screamed, but I was too far away to help.

Then it happened. Grover opened his mouth, and the most horrible sound I've ever heard came out. It was like a brass trumpet magnified a thousand times— the sound of pure fear.

As one, the forces of Kronos dropped their weapons and ran for their lives. The giants trampled the dracaenae trying to get into the Labyrinth first. Telekhines and hellhounds and enemy half-bloods scrambled after them. The tunnel rumbled shut, and the battle was over.

The clearing was quiet except for the fires burning in the woods, and the cries of the wounded.

I immediately ran to Chiron. "Are you okay?" I asked frantically, feeling dizzy as the pain from my broken wrist just began to hit me.

He was lying on his side, trying in vain to get up. Moments later, Percy and Annabeth joined me at Chiron's side.

"How embarrassing," he muttered. "I think I will be fine. Fortunately we do not shoot centaurs with broken— ow!— broken legs."

"You need help," Grover insisted as he rushed over. "I'll get a medic from the Apollo cabin."

"No— I'll just heal him," I said.

"No, both of you," Chiron said. "There are more serious injuries for you to use your powers on and for Apollo campers to attend to, Lydia. Go! I am fine. But Grover, later we must talk about how you did that."

"That was amazing," Percy agreed.

Grover blushed. "I don't know where it came from."

Juniper threw her arms around him and hugged him fiercely. "I do!"

Before she could say more, Tyson called. "Percy! Lydia! Come quick! It is Nico!"

We didn't hesitate to run over.

"Shit, he better not be dead," I said, holding my wrist and wincing.

He luckily wasn't. There was smoke curling off his black clothes. His fingers were clenched, and the grass all around his body had turned yellow and died.

Percy rolled him over as gently as he could and put his hand against his chest. "His heartbeat is weak. Lydia can you...?"

I nodded and quickly put my hand on Nico's chest.

Everyone closed their eyes as my hand begin to glow, and I winced as I felt a fairly large amount of energy leave me and enter Nico.

When I open my eyes, I felt queasy, and a nearby Ares camper immediately poured some nectar into my mouth.

"Nico, what happened?" Percy cried when the son of Hades's eyes fluttered open.

Nico nodded weakly. "Never tried to summon so many before.... I'll be fine."

We helped him sit up and gave him some nectar. He blinked at all of us, like he was trying to remember who we were, and then focused on someone behind us.

"Daedalus," he croaked.

"Yes m'boy," the inventor said. "I made a very bad mistake. I came to correct it."

Daedalus had a few scratches that were bleeding golden oil, but he looked better than most of us. Apparently his automaton body healed itself quickly.

Mrs. O'Leary loomed behind him, licking the wounds on her master's head so that Daedalus's hair stood up funny.

Briares stood next to him, surrounded by a group of awed campers and satyrs. He looked kind of bashful, but he was signing autographs on armor, shields, and t-shirts.

"I found the Hundred Handed One as I came through the maze," Daedalus explained. "It seemed we had the same idea, to come help, but he was lost. So we fell in together and both came to make amends."

"Yay!" Tyson jumped up and down. "Briares! I knew you would come."

"I did not know," Briares said. "But you reminded me who I am, Cyclops. You are the hero."

Tyson blushed, and Percy patted him on the back. "I knew that all along," he said. "But Daedalus... the Titan army is still down there. Even without the string they'll be back. They'll find a way sooner or later, with Kronos leading them."

Daedalus sheathed his sword. "You are right. As long as the Labyrinth is here, your enemies can use it. Which is why the Labyrinth cannot continue."

Annabeth stared at him. "But you said as long as you're alive—"

"Yes, my young architect. When I die, the Labyrinth will die as well. And so I have a present for you."

He slung a leather satchel off his back and took out a sleek silver laptop with a blue Δ.

"My work is here," he said. "It's all I managed to save from the fire. Notes on projects I never started. Some of my favorite designs. I couldn't develop these over the last few millennia. I did not dare reveal my work to the mortal world. But perhaps you will find it interesting"

He handed the laptop to Ammabeth, who stared at it like it was solid gold. "You're giving me this? But this is priceless! This is worth... I don't even know how much!"

"Small compensation for the way I have acted," Daedalus said. "You were right, Anmabeth, about children of Athena. We should be wise, and I was not. Someday you will be a greater architect than I ever was. Take my ideas and improve them. It is the least I can do before I pass on."

"Woah," Percy said. "Pass on? But you can't just kill yourself. That's wrong."

Daedalus shook his head. "Not as wrong as hiding from my crimes for two thousand years. Genius does not excuse evil, Percy. My time has come. I must face my punishment."

"But you won't get a fair trial," I said. "The spirit of Minos sits in judgement—"

"I will take what comes," Daedalus said. "And trust in the justice of the Underworld, such as it is." He turned to Nico. "Will you take my soul for ransom, then? You could use it to reclaim your sister."

"No," Nico said. "I will help you release your spirit. But Bianca has passed. She must stay where she is."

Daedalus nodded. "Well done, son of Hades. You are becoming wise." Then he turned toward Percy and I. "One last favor, Lydia Castellan and Percy Jackson. I cannot leave Mrs. O'Leary alone. And she has no desire to return to the Underworld. Will you both take care of her?"

Percy and I looked at each other and then at the massive black hound, who whimpered pitifully, still licking Daedalus's hair.

"Yes, of course we will," I said, nodding to Percy. He nodded back.

"Then I am ready to see my son, and Perdix," Daedalus said. "I must tell them how sorry I am."

Annabeth had tears in her eyes.

Daedalus turned toward Nico, who drew his sword. For a solid moment I thought Nico would just stab him. But he simply said, "Your time is long since come. Be released and rest."

A smile of relief spread across Daedalus's face. He froze like a statue. His skin turned transparent, revealing the bronze gears and machinery whirring inside his body— just as I had seem it before. Them the statue turned grey and disintegrated.

Mrs. O'Leary howled. I patted her head, trying to comfort her as best I could.

The earth rumbled— an earthquake that could probably be felt in every major city across the country— as the ancient Labyrinth collapsed.

Somewhere, I hoped, the remains of the Titan's strike force had been buried.

___________

The funerals that followed the battle were probably the saddest events I've ever attended.

The first was for Apollo Senior Counselor Lee Fletcher, who'd always been a good friend of mine and someone I used to tease about his poor sword skills. He'd always joked he'd help me become a good archer someday, even though it was common knowledge I simply was not made to be an archer.

He'd been downed by a giant's club in the middle of the battle. It was a horrible way to die. His shroud was gold, and had no decoration. All his siblings attempted to say something but... it was too difficult. Young Will Solace cried the most, as Lee had been his mentor as well as his brother.

The next funeral was even worse.

I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach as Pollux attempted to give the speech for Castor. He was trying to say something, but he couldn't.

I felt absolutely awful there. I'd known the twins for years and they'd always tease that one day they'd LET ME teach them to sword fight, since they said I wasn't worthy of their presence as students.

They'd just been about to go into their senior year together.

Castor had been telling me a month ago about his plans to ask a certain girl at school to homecoming.

The twins had plans to become psychologists in the mortal world.

It was unfair. Unfair that Castor died when he was only 17. Unfair his life was left incomplete. And unfair he left a twin behind.

At noon the same day, Clarisse insisted I go and see Chris.

He'd grown so sick he couldn't move. Michael Yew had inserted a feeding tube a week ago, according to Clarisse, just so he could stay alive until Dionysus's return.

Chris was paralyzed in his bed, staring at the ceiling. Every now and then, he'd blink. Clarisse was trying to be strong as she sat at his bedside, but it was too sad a sight to not want to burst into tears. She was crying softly as she spoke to him words that I couldn't hear, and she stroked his hair in desperation that he'd hang on just a little longer.

I simply couldn't handle it. I couldn't see another brother of mine be lost.

I had exited the room almost as quickly as I walked in, and numbly sat beside Pollux on the Big House couch as he waited for his father to arrive.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"I'm sorry too," I mumbled back.

He took my hand and offered me a small smile.

But his smile faded immediately, and his lip trembled, and before I knew it he'd burst into tears. I pulled him into a hug, resting his head on my shoulder as I rubbed his back.

"I-It's not f-fair," he said between sobs. "W-Why C-Castor— w-why not me?"

"Don't say that," I said, swallowing back my own tears. "Neither of you deserved that and I wish to the gods it hadn't happened to him..."

"I-It's all my f-fault," Pollux gasped. "C-Chiron said we c-could help B-Beckendorf w-with the c-catapult. W-We'd have both b-been safe. B-But I challenged h-him a-and said we should p-pick up swords or s-something and a-actually f-fight—"

"Shh," I said, stroking his hair. "It's not your fault. Do you hear me? It's not your fault."

Pollux shook his head, and choked loudly, causing me to close my eyes as my lip trembled.

"W-What am I g-going to t-tell my m-mom?" He sobbed.

I didn't know what to say, so I just gave a shaky breath and shook my head.

"I'm sorry," I whispered again. "I'm sorry..."

Pollux's entire body shook as he cried unceasingly. He was limp in my arms, like he'd simply given up.

Someone cleared their throat and I looked up, and saw Mr D in the doorway.

It seemed he'd just received the news. His eyes were red and puffy, and he looked more miserable than I'd ever seen him in his entire life.

I straightened Pollux up and he looked at his father.

"Dad," he said softly.

Mr D came forward and sat on the other side of Pollux, and wrapped his arms around him.

Wanting to give them some privacy, I got up and went to stand by Clarisse, who was now outside Chris's room.

She wiped her eyes when she saw me coming.

For a moment we stood in silence beside each other.

"I love him," she mumbled.

"Come again?" I said, looking up at her.

"I love him, Lydia," she said again, blushing as if it was the most embarrassing thing for her to admit. "When you were little and used to tease him about the time you caught us kissing... that's honestly the only reason you annoy me. I respect you. But I love him, and it's always been so... weird for me to come to terms with that. I don't... love people. And even so, it's not the kind of thing I say so quickly. When he left to join Luke, I..."

She looked away and gulped. "I know how it felt when Ethan left."

I swallowed hard and leaned back against the wall. "He loved you too, Clarisse. And sorry about... the teasing."

She let out a forced laugh before her face scrunched up again. "You tell anyone I told you this, and I'll break every bone in your face."

"That's to be expected," I said, knowing that this was her being back to normal. "Your secret's safe with me."

Clarisse let out a soft sound that could have been a laugh, or also a scoff, knowing her.

"I'm under the impression there is someone with a case of madness in here?"

Clarisse and I both snapped our heads up, seeing Mr D had come over. Pollux was still on the couch behind him, now having curled up into a little ball.

"Y-Yeah," I said. "My brother..."

Mr D went in. He stood beside Chris, and simply waved his hand.

Chris's hand suddenly twitched, and his pale face grew to have color again.

Clarisse let out a cry and rushed over, falling to her knees at his bedside and taking his hand, kissing his forehead.

Chris smiled weakly, and reached his hand out to touch her face.

My lips trembled as a smile grew on my face, and Mr D moved past me.

"Thank you," I said softly.

He nodded. "And... thank you, Lydia Castellan. Pollux tells me you've been... an angel of sorts for him while he waited for my return."

"You're welcome," I said. "You... said my name right."

"Don't get used to it," he said a bit gruffly. "Just... keep an eye on him. I know you'll both be going to the same school this fall and... I trust you."

"I will," I replied. "I'm sorry.... Castor was amazing."

"I know. Now excuse me, Lisa Castañeda."

He then walked out without saying another word to me.

I wasn't ready for the school year, when I'd have to watch Pollux walk the halls alone.


	17. I Get Attacked When I Just Came To Have a Good Time

**Lydia Castellan's POV**

_Summer 2009_

The school year that followed the battle was pretty dull.

A brief recap of my wonderful junior year of high school while also doing my sophomore year of Medical School:

Pollux and I became a lot closer due to what happened and we ended up being each other's homecoming dates— at least until I casually introduced him to a girl who was on the track team with me. She's cool for a mortal girl.

I was put into detention a total of fifteen times in first semester for talking back to teachers but of course they couldn't expel me because my scores alone put them up two places in the national rank or whatever. Plus I'm the 4x4 relay's anchor and I think that winning state is very important to them.

I accidentally blew up the refreshments table at prom because I was trying to focus on how the gears inside the very high tech chocolate fountain were like but I concentrated too hard and instead splattered half the people around me with chocolate. Thankfully I wasn't close enough for them to blame it on me.

I turned seventeen in late July and got to rub in Annabeth and Percy's faces that I'm nearly legal. They hate that they've barely turned or are turning sixteen, in Percy's case.

Otherwise my school year was just a bunch of lame tests and hiding in my dorm and doing my Med School work. I've spoken to my advisor and they've grown to understand my unique situation, so luckily when I graduate high school next year, I'll automatically get to sit in class for my senior year of Med School at Stanford with no questions asked. Thanks, dad, for letting me persuade them into it.

Once school was over, Pollux and I headed back to Camp and listened to Charles Beckendorf just non-stop talk about how excited he was to be helping Percy infiltrate the Princess Andromeda in August.

I even helped him in the workshop to try and see if my powers for seeing gears could transfer over to skill with mechanics. My theory was right and I ended up working on most of his projects whenever he went on dates with Silena just so he wouldn't be too far behind. I'm a decent mechanic.

Of course when the day of the attack on the cruiser came, we were all pretty optimistic that it'd go well and that just maybe we'd delay Luke's army quite a bit.

As soon as Chiron told Annabeth and I that Percy had been spotted, we ran outside from our comfortable spot on the Big House couch, where we'd been watching the Apollo cabin play my siblings.

"Oh I hope the mission went well," she said, rubbing her hands together. "Hopefully Percy and Beckendorf aren't too beat up..."

We saw a crowd had already gathered when Percy walked up the pavilion, limping slightly.

"Percy!" Chiron said as he galloped toward him. "Thank the gods. But where...?"

Annabeth and I ran up, and saw Percy looked... distraught.

"What happened?" Annabeth asked, grabbing his arm. "Is Luke—?"

"The ship blew up," Percy said hoarsely. "He wasn't destroyed. I don't know where—"

I felt my heart sink as I realized why he sounded and looked so horrible. I knew even before Silena Beauregard ran up, her hair messy, her face without any makeup.

"Where's Charlie?" She demanded, looking around like he might be hiding.

I didn't have the heart to tell her.

Percy glanced up at her helplessly.

Chiron cleared his throat. "Silena, my dear, let's talk about this at the Big House—"

"No," she muttered as it finally hit her. "No... no..."

She started to cry, and the rest of us did around, too stunned to speak.

We'd already lost so many people over the summer. Lee and Castor, two of the main leaders, among with several other campers.

But this... this was the worst. With Beckendorf gone, it felt like someone had stolen the anchor for the entire camp.

Finally Clarisse came forward. She put her arm around Silena. I had to admit— they had one of the strangest friendships ever, what with them being a daughter of the war god and the daughter of the love goddess— but ever since Silena had given Clarisse advice last summer about Chris, Clarisse had decided she was Silena's personal bodyguard.

Clarisse was dressed in her bloodred combat armor, her brown hair tucked into a bandanna. She was as big and beefy as a rugby player, with a permanent scowl on her face, but she spoke gently to Selena— almost as gently as she's spoken to me when we'd been waiting for Mr D to come heal Chris.

"Come on girl," she said. "Let's get to the Big House. I'll make you some hot chocolate."

From there, everyone turned and wandered off in twos and threes, heading back to their cabins.

Nobody seemed excited to see Percy anymore. Nobody wanted to hear about the blown up ship.

Annabeth wiped a tear from her cheek. "I'm glad you're not dead, Seaweed Brain."

I offered Percy a smile and ruffled his hair as Annabeth squeezed his hand.

"I'm sure you did everything you could," I said.

Chiron nodded. "I believe so as well, Percy. Will you tell us what happened?"

Percy seemed reluctant to do so, but he ended up telling us about how the ship had gone down and some strange dream he'd had about the Titans. He'd even brought up the fact that the spy rumored to be in the camp had told Luke about it.

Chiron gazed sadly down the valley. "We must call a war council immediately, to discuss this spy, and other matters."

"Poseidon mentioned another threat," Percy said. "Something even bigger than the Princess Andromeda. I thought it might be that challenge the Titan had mentioned in my dream."

Chiron, Annabeth, and I exchanged looks.

"We will discuss that also," Chiron promised.

"One more thing," Percy said, taking a deep breath. "When I talked to my father, he said to tell you it's time. I need to know the full prophecy."

Chiron's shoulders sagged, but he didn't look surprised. "I've dreaded this day. Very well. Annabeth, Lydia, we will show Percy the truth all of it. Let's go to the attic."

_______

"You know where it is," Chiron told us from the foot of the stairs. "Bring it down, please."

I went up first, pulling myself up the ladder with ease.

The sun was setting outside, so the attic was even darker and creepier than usual. All the hero trophies were slacked everywhere— dented shields, pickle heads in jars from various monsters, a pair of fuzzy dice on a bronze plaque that read: STOLEN FROM CHRYSAOR'S HONDA CIVIC, BY GUS, SON OF HERMES, 1988.

I grinned when I saw the bent, curved bronze sword with green stains on the metal from its old magical poison laying on the table to my right. It was labeled: SCIMITAR OF KAMPÊ, DESTROYED IN THE BATTLE OF THE LABYRINTH BY LYDIA CASTELLAN, DAUGHTER OF HERMES, MRS. O'LEARY, HELLHOUND, AND BRIARES, HUNDRED HANDED ONE.

I looked behind me and saw Percy and Annabeth had just finished saying something to each other, and were looking straight into each other's eyes.

"Just kiss already," I mumbled under my breath. They looked at me strangely.

Luckily, neither one had actually heard me.

I walked over to the window, and the others followed me. On a three legged stool sat the Oracle— a shriveled female mummy in a tie-dyed dress. Tufts of black hair clung to her skull. Glassy eyes stared out of her leathery face.

Just looking would make anyone's skin crawl. But not me. I was always entirely fascinated with her, and had a strange desire to dissect her— although I suppose that's only because I'm such a nerd.

But part of me was also super freaked out whenever I saw her. I tried not to think of it when I came face to face with her... but it was hard not to.

"I never understood this," Percy whispered.

"What?" Annabeth asked.

"Why it's a mummy."

"Percy, she didn't used to be a mummy," Annabeth said. "For thousands of years the spirit of the oracle lived inside a beautiful maiden. The spirit would be passed on from generation to generation. Chiron told me she was like that fifty years ago. But she was the last."

"What happened?" Percy inquired.

Annabeth looked at me, her mouth partially open.

I shook my head quickly and looked away when Percy turned his gaze towards me.

"What?" He said suspiciously.

"Nothing," I said a bit too quickly. "Let's just do our job and get out of here."

What Percy didn't know what that this mummy was connected to my mother.

I'd never really elaborated on why Luke and I had left. I had told him years ago about how my mother was unwell, and sick. I'd told him that her eyes would glow green. But I never actually told him why that was.

When I was younger I hadn't fully understood what'd happened, and distinctly just remembered some traumatizing moments when she'd grab me and shake the life out of me until Luke forced her off of me.

The day I'd turned thirteen, Chiron had fully explained to me the details behind it.

Once I understood that, I stopped being the open person I used to be. I stopped sharing details of my life with everyone.

Because I didn't want them to know that my mother had been cursed before I was even born.

"So what now?" Percy asked, snapping me back into reality.

Annabeth approached the mummy and held out her palms. "O Oracle, the time is at hand. I ask for the Great Prophecy."

The mummy didn't move. Instead, Annabeth approached, and unclasped one of its necklaces. She produced a leather pouch— sort of like old Native American medicine pouches— and took out a small roll of parchment no bigger than her pinky.

"No way," Percy said. "You mean all these years, I've been asking about this stupid prophecy, and it's been right there around her neck?"

"The time wasn't right," Annabeth said. "Believe me Percy, I read this when I was ten years old, and I still have nightmares about it."

"Have you read it?" Percy asked me.

"Yeah... a year before Annabeth, when I'd turned ten," I said. "It's serious stuff."

"Great," he said. "Can I read it now?"

"Downstairs at the war council," Annabeth said. "Not in front of... you know."

Percy nodded, and I quickly led them out, not knowing in that moment that it'd be the last time Percy, Annabeth, and I would visit the attic together.

_______

Downstairs, the senior counselors had gathered around the ping-pong table. Don't ask me why, but the rec room had become the camp's informal headquarters for war councils.

When Anmabeth, Percy, Chiron, and I came in, it looked like a full on shouting match was going on.

Clarisse was still in full battle gear. Her electric spear Maimer— the new one of course since Percy broke the old one— was strapped on her back. We usually called it 'Lamer' when she wasn't listening. She had her boar-shaped helmet under one arm and a knife at her belt.

She was in the midst of yelling at Michael Yew, which looked funny since Clarisse was a foot taller. Michael stood four feet six, with another two feet of attitude.

"It's OUR loot!" He yelled, standing on his tiptoes so he could get in Clarisse's face. "If you don't like it, you can kiss my quiver!"

Around the table, everyone else was trying not to laugh.

Since Hermes was so full of people and I was always busy teaching swordfighting, my brothers Travis and Connor were also present. I was the official Senior Counselor, and if I was there they were Junior Counselors. In the event of my absence they'd both be co-counselors, although as I recalled from last summer, Travis would just take up the position of Senior Counselor while Connor was the sole Junior Counselor.

Beside them was Katie Gardner from Demeter, a girl who I recall Connor had the hots for. Next was Pollux, then Jake Mason— the hastily appointed new Senior Counselor for Hephaestus.

The only one not laughing at all at the scene before them was Silena. She sat beside Clarisse and stared vacantly at the ping pong net, her eyes red and puffy. A cup of hot chocolate sat untouched in front or her. It seemed unfair to me that she had to be here. I couldn't believe the nerve of Clarisse and Michael— to just stand there over her arguing about something as stupid as their chariot problem when she'd just lost Beckendorf.

"SHUT UP!" I yelled, making them all go silent. "What the hell is the matter with you? We talked about this already!"

Clarisse glowered at me. "Tell Michael not to be a selfish jerk, then!"

"Oh, that's perfect, coming from you!" Michael hissed.

"The only reason I'm here is to support Silena!" Clarisse shouted. "Otherwise I'd be back in my cabin."

"Fat load of support I'm seeing," I snarled. "You're just shouting over her! That's the most inconsiderate thing you could possibly have done!"

"Don't you start on me, Little Castellan," Clarisse said, standing up and walking toward me so she was in my face, and I had to crane my neck back at a painful angle to look at her. "Either you support me or you don't."

"How the hell do you expect me to support you when you're being rude to Michael AND Silena and threatening to abandon a war council to be in your cabin?" I yelled back, spitting in he face.

Clarisse made for grabbing my neck but I dodged with ease, and seconds later had my knife out and pressed on her throat, which made everyone stop talking immediately.

"Okay what the hell are you all talking about?" Percy cried.

Pollux cleared his throat. "Clarisse here has refused to speak to any of us until her, um, issue is resolved. She hasn't spoken for three days."

"It's been wonderful," Travis said wistfully.

"Hey, shut up," I hissed, urging Clarisse away from me before I sheathed my knife.

"What's the issue?" Percy asked, still confused.

Clarisse turned to Chiron. "You're in charge, right? Does my cabin get what we want or not?"

Chiron shuffled his hooves. "My dear, as I've already explained, Michael is correct. Apollo's cabin has the best claim. Besides, we have more important matters—"

"Sure," Clarisse snapped. "Always more important matters than what Ares needs. We're just supposed to show up and light when you need us, and not complain!"

"That would be nice," Connor muttered.

"Don't whine, Clarisse," I hissed. "All you guys do is complain so you can calm the fuck down now and just—"

"SHUT UP," she snapped, gripping her knife. "You know what? Maybe I should ask Mr D—"

"As you know," Chiron interrupted, his tone slightly angry now, "our director, Dionysus, is busy with the war. He can't be bothered with this."

"I see," Clarisse spat. "And the senior counselors? Are ANY of you going to side with me?"

Nobody was smiling anymore, and no one could meet Clarisse's eyes.

"Are you going to stop being so fucking problematic?" I said sharply. "No? Well then, the answer is no."

"Fine," Clarisse snapped, turning to Silena. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get into this when you've just lost.... anyway, I apologize. To YOU. Nobody else."

Silena didn't seem to register her words.

Clarisse threw her knife on the ping pong table. "All of you can fight this war without Ares. Until I get satisfaction, no one in my cabin is lifting a finger to help. Have fun dying."

She stormed out, and I rolled my eyes.

"Good riddance," Michael muttered.

"Are you kidding?" Katie protested. "This is a disaster!"

"She can't be serious, can she?" Travis asked worriedly.

"She might be," I mumbled. "Her pride's been wounded. We can hope she'll calm down but... I don't know."

Chiron cleared his throat. "Now... if you please, counselors. Percy has brought something I think you should hear. Percy— the Great Prophecy."

I went and sat with my brothers as Annabeth handed Percy the parchment.

"A half blood of the eldest dogs," Percy began.

"Er— Percy?" Annabeth interrupted. "That's gods. Not dogs."

"Oh right," he said. "A half blood of the eldest gods... shall reach sixteen against all odds... and see the world in endless sleep.... the hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap..."

He stopped suddenly, and swallowed hard.

"Percy," Chiron urged. "Read the rest."

Percy gulped again. "A single choice shall... shall end his days.... Olympus to per-pursue—"

"Preserve," Annabeth said gently. "It means to save."

"I know what it means," he grumbled. "Olympus to preserve or raze."

The room was silent, until Connor said "Raise is good, isn't it?"

"Not raise," Silena said. Her voice was hollow, but I was startled to hear her speak at all. "R-a-z-e means destroy."

"Obliterate," Annabeth said. "Annihilate. Turn to rubble."

"Got it," Percy said hoarsely. "Thanks."

Off to the side, Chiron closed his eyes as if he were saying a prayer. "You see now, Percy, why we thought it best not to tell you the whole prophecy. You've had enough on your shoulders—"

"Without realizing I was going to die in the end anyway?" He asked. "Yeah. I get it."

Chiron looked at him sadly.

"Percy," Annabeth said quickly, "you know prophecies always have double meanings. It might not literally mean you die."

"Sure," Percy said. "A single choice shall end his days. That has tons of meanings, right?"

"Maybe we can stop it," Jake Mason offered. "The hero's soul cursed blade shall reap. Maybe we could find this cursed blade and destroy it. Sounds like Kronos's scythe, right?"

"Perhaps we should let Percy think about these lines," Chiron suggested. "He needs time—"

"No," Percy said, abruptly folding the prophecy and thrusting it into his pocket. "I don't need time. If I die, I die. I can't worry about that, right?"

"Percy," I said. "The prophecy might not even be about you. I always thought we may have misinterpreted it—"

"No, Lydia, it's fine," he said sharply. "Let's move on. We've got other problems. We've got a spy."

Michael scowled. "A spy?"

Percy told us about how Kronos had known he and Beckendorf were coming— how he'd shown them a silver scythe pendant he'd used to communicate with someone at camp.

Silena began to cry again, and Annabeth put an arm around her shoulders.

"Well," Connor said uncomfortably. "We've suspected there might be a spy for years, right? Someone kept passing information to Luke— like the location of the Golden Fleece a couple of years ago. It must be someone who knew him well."

I noticed Connor subconsciously looked at Annabeth. I growled and pinched him, and he yelped. "I-I mean it could be anyone," He stammered.

"Yeah," Katie said, frowning in our direction. I could tell she was mostly looking at the Stolls with dislike since they'd once decorated the grass roof of the Demeter cabin with chocolate Easter bunnies. But for a moment her eyes flickered to me, and then decided to fixate there. "Like one of Luke's siblings."

"Hey, not us," Travis said immediately. "Connor and I would never—"

"Not you," she said, narrowing her eyes at me. "Lydia, he's your full biological brother. And you were Ethan Nakamura's girlfriend, were you not?"

"Excuse me?" I snapped. "First of all I was never his girlfriend and second—"

"I don't know, Lydia," Michael said suddenly. "You've always been secretive when it comes to him and you hate talking about him—"

"Yeah because I'm ASHAMED to be his sister—"

"—and you are the reason Ethan found out about the Labyrinth entrance in Zeus's Fist in the first place—"

"No! That wasn't my fault, he was eavesdropping—"

"—and you admitted that you considered going with Ethan—"

"That was in a private therapy session with you and Lee, Michael, and I can't BELIEVE you're blackmailing me with it—"

"How do we know you're not the spy?" He snapped, standing up. "If it's anyone in this camp it's probably you!"

"No it's not!" I shrieked. "Why would I help him when I've been working my ass off in quests to go against him? I can't believe you'd—"

"How do we know you're telling the truth? I say we search her for the pendant—"

"STOP!" Silena screamed, banging the table so hard that her hot chocolate spilled. "Charlie's dead and you're— you're all arguing like kids!" She put her head down and began to sob.

I felt mildly ashamed as I watched the hot chocolate trickle off the table. But the majority of I was feeling was just pure anger at Michael and Katie for accusing me like that.

"She's right," Pollux said at last. "First of all, I really don't think Lydia would do something like that. And second, accusing each other doesn't help. We just need to keep out eyes open for a silver necklace with a scythe charm. If Kronos had one, the spy probably does too."

Michael glanced at me and grunted. "We need to find this spy before we plan our next operation. Blowing up the Princess Andromeda won't stop Kronos forever."

"No indeed," Chiron said. "In fact his next assault is already on the way."

Percy scowled. "You mean the 'bigger threat' Poseidon mentioned?"

"Percy," Chiron said. "We didn't want to tell you until you returned to camp. You needed a break with your... mortal friends."

"Tell me what's happened," Percy said immediately.

Chiron picked up a bronze goblet from the snack table. He tossed water onto the hot plate where we usually melted nacho cheese. Steam billowed up, making a rainbow in the fluorescent lights. Chiron fished a golden drachma out of his pouch, tossed it through the mist, and muttered "O Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, show us the threat."

The mist shimmered to show the familiar Mount St .Helens. The side of the mountain exploded, making fire, ash, and lava roll out.

The newscaster's voice was saying "—even larger than last year's eruption, and geologists warn that the mountain may not be done."

The mountain was literally tearing itself apart, collapsing inward. From inside an enormous form rose out of the smoke.

The giant was bigger than anything I'd ever encountered. Even my demigod eyes couldn't make out its exact form through the ash and fire, but it was vaguely humanoid and so huge it could've use the Chrysler Building as a baseball bat. The mountain shook with a horrible rumbling, as if the monster were laughing.

"It's him," Percy said. "Typhon."

Chiron nodded. "The most horrible monster of all, the biggest single threat the gods ever faced. He has been freed from under the mountain at last. But this scene is from two days ago. Here is what is happening today."

Chiron waved his hand and the image changed to show a bank of storm clouds rolling across the Midwest plains. Lightning flickered. Lines of tornadoes destroyed everything in their path.

"Monumental floods," the announcer was saying. "Five states declared disaster areas as the freak storm system sweeps east, continuing its path of destruction."

Typhon's angry roar rolled across the plains like a nuclear blast. Smaller forms darted through the clouds, circling the monster. The giant tried to swat them. I could see a golden chariot flying into the blackness. Then a monstrous owl diving in to attack the giant.

"Are those... the gods?" Percy asked.

"Yes," Chiron said. "They have been fighting him for days now, trying to slow him down. But Typhon is marching forward— toward New York. Toward Olympus."

"How long until he gets here?"

"Unless the gods can stop him? Perhaps five days. Most of the Olympians are there... except your father, who has a war of his own to fight."

"But them who's guarding Olympus?"

I shook my head. "If Typhon gets to New York, it won't matter who's guarding Olympus."

"It's a trick," Percy said immediately. "We have to warn the gods. Something else is going to happen."

Chiron looked at him gravely. "Something worse than Typhon? I hope not."

"We have to defend Olympus," Percy insisted. "Kronos has another attack planned."

"He did," Travis said. "But you sunk his ship."

Percy looked at Annabeth and I and I know we all thought the same thing. What if the Princess Andromeda had been a ploy?

"Maybe you're right," Percy mumbled, looking sideways at Silena, like he didn't want to say what he was thinking out loud.

"Well," Chiron said at last. "That's enough for one night."

He waved his hand and the steam dissipated.

"That's an understatement," I muttered, getting up.

Michael and Katie shot me suspicious glares as I left, making me decide to go to the sword arena and visit my dog.


	18. I Relive My Childhood Trauma

"Lydia! Wait up!"

I turned and saw Percy behind me.

"Oh. Hey," I mumbled.

He jogged until he caught up to me. "Listen, they're just paranoid..."

"No, they're just bitches," I said. "They've known me for years."

He winced and sighed. "Where are you going?"

"To see our dog. She'll put me in a better mood."

"Good idea. I need to see her too..."

"Listen," I said, looking at him. "Don't overthink it. I never necessarily thought that prophecy was about you. It seems... off. Like I have a feeling about it."

"I know you're usually right about these things," he said. "But... I don't want to get my hopes up."

"That's fine. Just... don't get too nervous about it. It'll work itself out."

He half smiled. "You know, it's times like these that I wish I was never born."

"Oh I second that..." I chuckled, shaking my head as I opened the door of the arena.

Mrs. O'Leary saw us before we saw her, which was a pretty good trick considering she's the size of a garbage truck. Percy and I took five steps into the arena and a wall of darkness slammed into us.

"WOOF!"

Next thing I knew I was flat on the ground next to Percy. Mrs. O'Leary had her front paws on each of our chest and her oversized Brillo-pad tongue alternated licking our faces.

"Hello baby," I wheezed.

"Hey girl!" Percy called. "It-It's very nice to see you too— OW—"

"Jesus—" I said, trying to wiggle out from underneath her. "Mrs. O'Leary you're going to break my ribs—"

She simply woofed again and I sighed.

I decided the only way to calm her down was just tell her directly.

" _Hey_ ," I said. " _Get off. Please. You're crushing_ _us_."

" _Oh_ ," she yapped. " _Sorry_!"

She immediately got off of us, but the damage was done— and both Percy and I were drenched in dog drool.

" _Can we play fetch_?" She asked.

" _Yeah_ ," I said, picking up the bronze shield and tossing it across the arena.

Percy laughed lightly, wiping his face.

Soon after, started barking— a the sound slightly louder than an artillery gun— like she needed to go for a walk.

"Oh no," I said, already heading to the gate of the arena. "Someone needs to go potty and I will NOT let her have another accident in here."

"Another?" Percy said with a wince.

"Yeah the other day B-Beckendorf and I were working on something and she couldn't get out so she peed and well... my lesson that afternoon didn't go as planned after the slip-and-slide accident that followed."

I gave a shaky breath and Percy looked down sadly. I simply shook my head and opened the gates. Mrs. O'Leary immediately bounded straight toward the woods.

I jogged after her, Percy at my side, neither of us too concerned that she was getting ahead. It wasn't like anything in the woods could threaten Mrs. O'Leary. Even the dragons and giant scorpions ran away when she came close.

When we finally tracked her down, she wasn't using the facilities. She was in a familiar clearing where the Council of Cloven Elders had once put Grover on trial.

The place didn't look so good. The grass had turned yellow. The three topiary thrones had lost all their leaves.

But that's not what surprised me.

In the middle of the greatest of the weirdest trio I'd ever seen: Juniper the tree nymph, Nico di Angelo, and a very old, very fat satyr— I think his name was Leneus.

Nico was the only one who didn't seem freaked out by Mrs. O'Leary's appearance. He was wearing an aviator's jacket, black jeans, and a t-shirt with dancing skeletons on it— like one of those Day of the Dead pictures. His Stygian iron sword hung at his side. He was only twelve, but he looked much older and sadder— to the point where he could have been mistaken to be older than me.

He nodded when he saw Percy and I, then went back to scratching Mrs. O'Leary's ears. She sniffed his legs like he was the most interesting thing since rib-eye steaks. Being the son of Hades, he'd probably been traveling in all sorts of hellhound friendly places.

Leneus didn't look so happy. "Will someone— what is this UNDERWORLD creature doing in my forest?" He waved his arms and trotted on his hooves as if the grass were hot. "You there— Percy Jackson! Is this your beast?"

"She's our dog," I said. "Don't discriminate."

He rolled his eyes. His fur was dust bunny gray, and a spiderweb grew between his horns. His belly would have made him an invincible bumper car. "Call it off! Make it go away! Juniper— I will not help you under these circumstances!"

Juniper turned to us, and I could see her eyes were green tinted with chlorophyll from crying.

"Percy... Lydia," she sniffled. "I was just asking about Grover. I KNOW something's happened. He wouldn't stay gone this long if he wasn't in trouble. I was hoping that Leneus—"

"I told you!" The satyr protested. "You are better off without the traitor."

Juniper stomped her foot. "He is not a traitor! He's the bravest satyr ever and I want to know where he is!"

"WOOF!"

Mrs. O'Leary was trying to say she wanted to play again, but Leneus just got more uncomfortable. "I... I won't answer any questions with this hellhound sniffing my tail!"

Nico looked like he was trying not to crack up. "I'll walk the dog," he volunteered.

He whistled, and Mrs. O'Leary bounded after him to the far end of the grove.

"I-I'll go with them," I said, noticing Leneus was glaring at me.

He huffed, and I wasted no time in catching up to Nico.

________

Nico and I did one round of the outer edge of the woods before returning.

Juniper seemed to have explained to Percy what we'd discussed the other day regarding Grover's disappearance. She didnt stick around too long after Leneus left since Mrs. O'Leary tried to pee on her.

"I was sorry to hear about Beckendorf," Nico said quietly. "I uh... talked to his ghost." He looked at Percy. "He doesn't blame you. He figured you'd be beating yourself up, and he said you shouldn't."

"Is he going to try for rebirth?" I asked.

"No... he's staying in Elysium. Said he's waiting for someone. Not sure what he meant, but he seems okay with death."

He looked at me. "Percy told you about our conversation on his birthday, yes?"

"Yeah— he told me like a week after. Said you were okay with me knowing."

"Yes," he said. "Because it involves Luke and beating him. It WILL come down to Percy and Luke. We can give them the same power."

"What for?" Percy asked.

"Well you heard the Great Prophecy. Unless you want to have your soul reaped by a cursed blade."

"Wait a minute," I said. "The prophecy might not even be about Percy and it's not like we can prevent it—"

"But he can fight it," Nico said, with a strange hunger in his eyes. "Percy, you can become invincible."

"Maybe we should wait," I said, looking sideways at Percy. "Try to fight without—"

"No!" Nico snarled. "It has to be now!"

"Damn, calm down," I said, holding my hands up in surrender.

He took a deep breath. "All I mean is when the fighting starts, we won't be able to make the journey. This is our last chance. I'm sorry if I'm being too pushy but two years ago my sister gave her life to protect BOTH of you. I want to honor that and do whatever it takes to stay alive and defeat Kronos."

"All right," Percy said, looking at me. "What do we do first?"

Nico looked up with a cold, creepy smile. "First we'll need to retrace Luke's steps. We need to know more about his past, his childhood."

I felt the hairs of my arms stand up. "W-Why do we need to do that?" I stammered. "I-I could j-just tell you. Isn't that why you wanted me involved?"

Nico didn't seem to register how uncomfortable this was making me.

"Well you were on your own since you were six so you probably don't remember much," Nico assumed, which made me gulp. "I'll explain when we get there. I've already tracked down your mom. She lives in Connecticut, right?"

I tensed. "Nico that's really not necessary—"

"Wait, your mom is still alive?" Percy asked. "You— you made it seem like she was dead."

"Oh, she's alive," Nico said in such a creepy way that I felt myself growing anxious.

"Okay..." Percy said, looking between Nico and I. "So how do we get to Connecticut? I can call Blackjack—"

"No," Nico scowled. "Pegasi don't like me and the feeling is mutual. But there's no need for flying." He whistled, and Mrs. O'Leary came loping out of the woods.

"Your friend here can help," Nico said, patting her head. "You haven't tried to shadow travel yet?"

"Shadow travel?"

Nico whispered in Mrs. O'Leary's ear. She tilted her head, suddenly alert.

"Hop on board," Nico said.

Percy and I got onto her back. I winced, looking down at Nico.

I hadn't been prepared for anyone to find out about my mother yet.

"This will make her very tired," Nico warned. "So you can't do it often. And it works best at night. But all shadows are part of the same substance. There is only one darkness, and creatures of the Underworld can use it as a road— or a door."

"I don't understand," Percy said.

"No. It took me time to learn. But Mrs. O'Leary knows. Tell her where to go, Lydia. I'll meet you there."

I gulped as Percy gave me a strange look. " _Hey girl... can you take us to Westport, Connecticut? The home of May Castellan_?"

Mrs. O'Leary sniffed the air. She looked into the gloom of the forest. Then she bounded forward, straight into an oak tree.

Just before we hit, we passed into shadows as cold as the dark side of the moon.

Okay. Now PSA. I REALLY don't recommend shadow travel if you're afraid of the dark, cold shivers up your spine, strange noises, or going so fast you feel like your face is peeling off.

I mean it was cool, don't get me wrong.

The shadows had melted into a new scene instantaneously, but it wasn't a scene I liked.

We were on a cliff in the woods of Connecticut. Down one side of the cliff, a highway cut through a ravine. Down the other side was someone's backyard.

The property we were on was huge— more wilderness than lawn.

The house looked just like I remembered it— a two story white Colonial that felt like it was in the middle of nowhere. In the kitchen a light was glowing, and under the apple tree beside it was the rusty old swing set that Luke used to push me on.

"I'm really jealous now," Percy said as he gazed over it.

"Why?" I asked quizzically, feeling uncomfortable just being here.

"Well I've lived in an apartment my whole life... I can't imagine why you'd ever want to leave."

I winced. "Y-You'll see soon enough," I muttered.

I suppose he didn't really remember what I'd told him four years ago regarding my mom being sick.

Mrs. O'Leary staggered, so Percy and I slipped off her back. She let out a huge toothy yawn that would've scared a T-rex, then turned in a circle and flopped down so hard the ground shook.

Nico appeared right next to us, as if the shadows and darkness had created him. He stumbled, but Percy caught his arm.

"I'm okay," he managed, rubbing his eyes.

"How did you do that?" Percy asked.

"Practice. A few times running into walls. A few accidental trips to China."

I huffed. "Same for me with teleporting... that's why I try not to do it. Ever."

Mrs. O'Leary snored behind me. If it hadn't been for the roar of traffic behind us, I'm sure she would've woken up the whole neighborhood.

"Are you going to nap too?" I asked. "I know how this works. Sometimes ya gotta pass out for a week."

"No," he said. "I'm a little drowsy but I'll be fine. Mrs. O'Leary won't be going anywhere for awhile."

"So we've got some quality time in Connecticut," I grumbled.

Nico looked around, and I realized there was absolutely no way I could convince him to not go inside.

"What now?" Percy asked.

"We ring the doorbell," Nico said.

As we began to walk toward the house, Percy let out a nervous laugh.

"Your mom probably won't open the door for us at night, will she?"

I tucked my hands in my pockets. "She'll open it. Trust me. And she'll probably have food waiting for us."

"How do you know that?" Nico inquired. "I thought you hadn't seen her for eleven years."

"I haven't. But... you'll see."

Once we got closer, the boys could begin to see why I was so uncomfortable here.

The sidewalk was lined with little stuffed beanbag animals— the types you see in gift shops.

There were miniature lions, pigs, dragons, hydras, and even a Minotaur in a tiny diaper.

"Gods, she still has these stupid things," I hissed, seeing that they were all dirty and ripped.

The front porch wasn't any better. It was still infested with wind chimes— shiny bits of glass and metal clinked in the breeze. Brass ribbons tinkled like water.

"How can she stand the noise?" Percy mumbled.

"She doesn't exactly hear it," I grumbled, which made Nico and Percy shoot me some weird glances.

The front door was painted turquoise. The name CASTELLAN was written in English, and below in Greek: Διοικητήζ φρουρίου.

I traced the letters with my fingertips and gulped.

No way I could turn back now.

Nico looked at Percy and I. "Ready?"

"No," I said, stretching my arm out to knock my fist against the paint. I'd barely tapped the door when it swung open.

"Luke! Lydia!" The old lady before me cried happily.

I flinched, seeing she looked just like she had when Luke and I had left.

Her white hair stuck out in tufts all over her head. Her pink housedress was covered in scorch marks and smears of ash. When she smiled, her face looked unnaturally stretched, and the high-voltage light in her eyes made me wonder if she'd gone blind.

"Oh my dear boy!" She said, hugging Nico. Percy was confused when she turned to him and threw her arms around him. "Luke!"

The boys looked at me fearfully, and I forced myself to breathe deeply.

She then turned to me. "Lydia!" She hugged me and I jumped, tensing up in her arms. She smelled like burned cookies. She'd gotten as thin as a scarecrow— but was still as strong as she had been.

"Come in!" She insisted. "I have your lunch ready!"

"Told you," I muttered as she ushered us inside.

The living room looked exactly the same as it had eleven years ago. Mirrors and candles filled every available space. I couldn't look anywhere without seeing my own reflection.

This time, however, instead of seeing a small, dirty blonde haired six year old with big blue eyes and a pale face, I saw a tall brown haired girl with regular blue eyes, a tanned face, and a large scar on her cheek.

Above the mantel, a little bronze Hermes flew around the second hand of a ticking clock.

When I noticed the framed pictures next to it, I froze. It was Luke, aged nine, his hair blonde and a big smile showing off two missing teeth. Beside him was me, aged three, holding up a small doll while I held Luke's hand tightly.

"This way, my dears!" My mother said, steering us to the back of the house. "Oh I told them you would come back! I knew it!"

She sat us down at the kitchen table. Stacked on the counter were literally hundreds of Tupperware boxes with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches inside. The ones at the bottom were green and fuzzy, like they'd been in there since Luke and I had left. It smelled disgusting.

On top of the oven was a stack of cookie sheets, each with a dozen burned cookies. In the sink was a mountain of empty plastic Kool-Aid pitchers. A beanbag Medusa sat by the faucet like she was guarding the mess.

My mother started humming as she got out peanut butter and jelly an started making a new sandwich. Something was burning in the oven.

Above the sink, taped all around the window, were dozens of little pictures cut from magazines and newspaper ads— pictures of Hermes from the FTD Flowers logo and Quickie Cleaners, pictures of the caduceus from medical ads.

Percy and Nico looked at me uncomfortably, and I bit my lip.

"Mom?" I asked softly.

"Yes, baby?" She chirped.

I shivered, gulping a bit. "When... when did you last see Luke?"

Her eyes lost focus. "He was so young when he left," she said wistfully. "Third grade. That's too young to run away. He said he'd be back for lunch. You remember, don't you? We waited. You both love peanut butter sandwiches and cookies and Kool Aid. He'll be back for lunch very soon, baby."

That last statement was what jolted my memory back to that day.  
  


" _Your brother will be back any minute," my mother said happily, looking out the window as she washed out the Kool Aid pitcher. "He's always back for lunch!"_

_I'd been sitting at the table coloring, and looked up at her. "Mommy... it's dark outside. It's time for dinner."_

_Earlier that day Luke had told me he would be leaving. He had promised he'd be back for me._

_He'd told my mother he'd be back for lunch._

_I knew better._

_"No, silly!" She said cheerily. "Luke will be back for lunch!"_

_"Mommy... he's not coming back," I said quietly._

_She turned to the peanut butter and jelly sandwich that lingered on the table beside me. I'd already eaten mine, because I'd been so hungry._

_"He ALWAYS come back for lunch," she insisted._

_"Mommy... he ran away."_

_She dried her hands. "No, Lydia. He's only nine! He can't run away. That's too little to run away. He'll be back. He loves his Kool-Aid and peanut butter sandwiches."_

_"M-Mommy," I said, setting my crayons down. "L-Luke ran away."_

_She furrowed her eyebrows, like she was thinking hard about it._

_Then suddenly, she let out a strangled gasp, and her eyes rolled back, turning a glowing green._

_I leapt out of my chair and screamed, backing away._

_But my mother was quick. She ran forward and seized me, lifting me up so she could look me properly in the eyes._

_"My boy..." she said. "My boy... his fate... you know his fate!"_

_"N-N-No m-mommy!" I shrieked, beginning to cry. "L-Let m-me d-down mommy p-please— please!"_

_"HIS FATE!" She continued, not internalizing my screaming. She was now shaking me roughly, making my small head bounce everywhere. "HIS FATE—"_

_She then stopped, and dropped me, making me fall to the floor with a crash and a scream._

_I immediately scrambled away and bolted upstairs to my room, slamming the door shut._

_Moments later I heard her return to normal self downstairs and begin calling for Luke again, and occasionally yelling at me that he'd be home soon and all we had to do was wait_.   
  


My mother looked at Percy and smiled. "Why Luke, there you are! You look so handsome. You have your father's eyes."

She turned toward the picture of Hermes above the sink. "Now there's a good man. Yes, indeed. He comes to visit me, you know."

I wasn't sure if that was true or not. My father had never spoken of her when he saw me. He'd known before that she was like this, but I didn't know if he was aware of how much worse she'd gotten.

"Uh... Lydia?" Percy mumbled. "I thought you said you left when you were six.... wouldn't he have been twelve?"

"He uh... he left first. Alone," I said, looking down. "I was alone with her for three years before he came back for me. By then he'd found Thalia. Then we traveled together... eventually found Annabeth once I'd turned eight. Came back to visit here once. We ran away again, and Grover found us. That's when we finally made it to camp. We lived on the streets for a really, really long time before that..."

Percy winced, and I could see he now understood why I hadn't been so keen to enter.

"Ma'am," Nico said, looking sideways at me. "What uh... what happened to your eyes?"

"Why Luke, you know the story!" She said. "It was right before you were born. I'd always been special. Able to see through the Mist. They offered me an important job. That's how special I was!"

"What sort of job?" Percy asked immediately. "What happened?"

"Percy," I said softly. "I'll tell you later. Please don't—"

My mother frowned. "Dear me, it didn't work out, did it? Your father warned me not to try. He said it was too dangerous. But I had to. It was my destiny! And now... I still can't get the images out of my head. They make everything seem so fuzzy. Would you like some cookies?"

She pulled the tray out of the oven and dumped a dozen lumps of chocolate chip charcoal on the table.

"Luke and Lydia were so kind," she said thoughtfully. "They left to protect me. Said if they went away, the monsters wouldn't threaten me. But I told them the monsters are no threat! They sit outside on the sidewalk all day, and they never come in."

She picked up the little stuffed Medusa. "Do they, Mrs. Medusa? No, no threat at all." She beamed at me. "I'm glad you both came home. I knew you weren't ashamed of me!"

"W-We were never ashamed, Mom," I said quietly. Then under my breath I added, "just scared."

"That's sweet of you!" She chirped, now beginning to make another batch of cookies.

"Mom," I said, forcing myself to look up at her. "Have you seen Luke since we left?"

"Of course, baby!" She said immediately.

I narrowed my eyes, unsure. "He did? Er... When did he visit you last?"

"Yes, of course!" She repeated. "And it was... oh goodness. The last time, he looked so different. A scar. A terrible scar. And his voice.... so full of pain."

"Were his eyes gold?" I asked.

"Gold?" She blinked. "No. How silly. Lydia and Luke have blue eyes. Beautiful blue eyes!"

I breathed heavily, my hands grabbing at the edge of the table. I looked at Nico like, 'can we please go?' He nodded.

"Ms. Castellan," he said, putting his hand on her arm. "Did he ask you for anything?"

She thought about it for a second. "Yes... My blessing! Isn't that sweet?" She said happily. "He was going to a river, and he said he needed my blessing. I gave it to him. Of course I did."

Nico looked at us triumphantly, and I forced an encouraging smile.

I just needed to leave as soon as possible.

My entire past was filled with horrible moments with her— and panic attacks that lasted ages, and usually ended up in me passing out.

I could feel the pressure in my chest building up. I seriously needed to get out of here.

"Thank you, ma'am," Nico said. "That's going to help us a lot—"

My mother suddenly gasped and doubled over, her cookie tray clattering to the floor.

" _AHHHHH_ ," she hissed as she straightened.

Percy and Nico scrambled away and nearly fell over the kitchen table when they saw that her eyes were now glowing green. Their eyes were wide, their mouths open in terror.

"Mom!" I said, stepping between her and the boys. My heart was beating heavily in my chest, and I could feel myself already struggling to get air. "M-Mom— c-close your eyes, remember? Y-You h-have to close your eyes s-so the v-visions go away—"

She rushed to me and gripped my arms, making me cry out in fear and pain as she dug her nails into my skin.

" _My child_ ," she rasped in a much deeper voice— the voice that'd given me so many nightmares as a child. " _Must protect him! Hermes, help! Not my child! Not his fate— no_!"

"M-Mom!" I cried, feeling my eyes welling up with tears. "M-Mom p-please—"

She shook me furiously, making my head move wildly and my teeth chatter inside my mouth. " _Not his fate! NOT HIS FATE_!"

She suddenly stopped shaking me. She looked into my eyes, the green within hers glowing worse and worse every second.

" _Lydia, understand_ ," she said, her hands going up to grab my face roughly. " _Your brother— his fate— IT IS NOT HIS FATE! I'VE TOLD YOU! IT IS NOT HIS FATE!_ "

"M-Mommy— m-mommy p-please," I sobbed, trying desperately to break from her grasp. But my hands were shaking too much. I was paralyzed in fear. "L-Let me g-go— p-please— PLEASE—"

" _NO_!" She screamed. " _YOU MUST UNDERSTAND! WE MUST PROTECT HIM! IT CANNOT BE HIS FATE_!"

She then suddenly let go of me, and lurched forward. I covered my face and staggered away, leaving Percy to catch her so she wouldn't hit the edge of the table.

I ran to the wall, pressing my hands on it and gasping for air, my eyes still shut tight.

"We have to go," I heard Nico say urgently. "We'll tell Luke... you said hello."

"But you can't leave!" I heard my mom say. "Hermes will be here soon! He'll want to see his little girl and his boy!"

"Maybe next time," Percy said. "Thanks for— for everything."

I felt Nico grab me, and I allowed myself to be led out onto the front porch.

I suddenly felt her grab my arm and nearly jumped out of my skin.

"Lydia, at least be safe," she said, her eyes now blue again as she looked over my face. "Promise me you and your brother will be safe."

"I-I w-will Mom," I stammered, yanking my hand away from her, and clutching my chest, blinking tears out of my eyes as I struggled to catch my breath.

She smiled. "You hear that?" She said to the beanbag animals on the sidewalk. "She said they'll be safe! I told you they would be!"

The instant she closed the door, I bolted for the woods, and the boys followed me.

I didn't stop running until I was inside the forest, and collided with a tree, coughing and wheezing, my nails digging into the bark as my hands shook wildly.

"Lydia," Percy panted as he and Nico caught up. "You— why didn't you tell us? Is... is that why you've been at therapy with Michael?"

"O-One of the reasons," I said, my vision blurred. "I just— I need— I c-can't—"

"Lydia," Nico said frantically, holding my shoulder. "A-Are you having a panic attack?"

"I-I—I'm," I croaked, nodding my head and swallowing hard. "I-I c-can't—"

My eyes rolled to the back of my head and I collapsed into his arms.


	19. I Get Kicked Out Of The Underworld

I woke up a few times in between the meeting Nico and Percy had with Hestia. She tended to me, and gave me a medicine that tasted disgusting, but helped me grow fully conscious right before she transported us to Sally Jackson's— excuse me, Sally Blofis's apartment.

We were plopped onto the couch, and I groggily sat up.

"You feeling better Lydia?" Percy squeaked as we were pressed against the wall, since Mrs. O'Leary was currently occupying the rest of the living room.

"Kind of," I said, rubbing my eyes.

We suddenly heard a muffled yell from the bedroom. Paul Blofis's voice said, "Who put this wall of fur in the doorway?"

"Percy!" came Sally's voice. "Are you here? Are you alright?"

"I'm here!" Percy shouted back.

"WOOF!" Mrs. O'Leary said, displaying her excitement to see Percy's mom again. She thought she smelled nice, and really loves her.

Unfortunately she tried to manifest that excitement and turned wildly in a circle to try and find his mother— which meant knocking all the pictures off the walls.

It took a few minutes, but we got things worked out.

After destroying most of the furniture in the living room and probably making their neighbors really mad, we managed to get Sally and Paul out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, where we sat around the kitchen table.

Mrs. O'Leary still took up the entire living room, but she'd settled her head in the kitchen doorway so she could see us, which made her happy. Sally tossed her a ten-pound family size tub of ground beef, which disappeared down her gullet.

Paul poured lemonade for the rest of us while Percy explained our visit to Connecticut and my unfortunate circumstances.

"Oh honey," Sally said softly, wrapping her arm around me. "Six years stuck there... that must have been scary."

"It was," I mumbled. "I didn't know why she was like that. My father never told me. But later Chiron explained it and well... it's partially her own fault."

Paul winced. "But isn't your dad... Hermes? That's what you said, right? Wouldn't he have been able to cure her? He's partly the god of medicine."

"Curses like that can't be removed by other gods," I said. "It's complicated. I don't know the full details of it either, so I don't know how to break it... meaning her only hope is for the Oracle to find a new host. Which is likely never going to happen. If it does though, she won't have glowing eyes anymore. The problem is... I'm afraid the brain damage would still be severe. She might still be insane."

There was a beat of silence.

"So," Paul said at last, looking at Percy. "All the talk about monsters and being a demigod.... it's really true."

"Sorry about Mrs. O'Leary," Percy said sheepishly. "Destroying the living room and all..."

Paul laughed like he was delighted. "Are you kidding? This is awesome! I mean, when I saw the hoofprints on the Prius, I thought maybe. But this!"

He patted Mrs. O'Leary's snout. The living room shook, which either meant the SWAT team was breaking down the door or Mrs. O'Leary was wagging her tail.

"Thanks for not freaking out," Percy said.

"Oh, I'm freaking out," he promised, his eyes wide. "I just think it's awesome!"

"Yeah, well," I said grimly. "You MAY not be so excited when you hear what's happening."

Percy and I proceeded to tell his parents about Typhon, the gods, and the battle that was soon to come against my brother.

Then Percy told them Nico's plan.

Sally laced her fingers around her lemonade glass. She took a deep breath. "Percy... it's dangerous. Even for you."

"Mom, I know," he said. "I could die. Nico explained that. But it we don't try—"

"We'll all die," Nico cut in. "Ms. Jackson, we don't stand a chance against an invasion. And there WILL be an invasion."

"An invasion of New York?" Paul said. "Is that even possible? How could we not see the... the monsters?"

"Well," I said, setting down my glass. "Olympus is centered in the Empire State Building. And the Mist is strong. My theory is that somehow he'll make it so no mortals can't enter that area. The Mist is strong. I mean... Typhon is trampling across the country right now, and mortals think he's a storm system."

"Ms. Jackson," Nico insisted. "Percy needs your blessing. The process HAS to start this way. I-I wasn't sure until we met Lydia's mother but... now I'm positive. This has only been done successfully twice before. Both times, the mother had to give her blessing. She had to be willing to let her son take the risk."

"You want me to bless this?" She said, shaking her head. "It's crazy. Percy, please—"

"Mom, I can't do it without you."

"And if you survive this... this process?"

"Then I go to war," he said. "Me against Kronos. And only one of us will survive."

By the way she looked sideways at me, I could tell her only thought was Percy and my brother fighting to the death.

"You're my son," she said miserably. "I can't just..."

She trailed off, and I knew she was thinking about what we'd told her regarding my mother, waiting years for her children to come home.

"Sally," Paul said, taking her hand. "I can't claim to know what you and Percy have been going through all these years. But it sounds to me... it sounds like Percy is doing something noble. I wish I had that much courage."

Sally stared down at her lemonade, like she was trying not to cry.

"Percy," she said. "I give you my blessing."

Nothing out of the ordinary happened. Nico nodded anxiously. "It's time."

"Percy," Sally said. "One last thing. If you... if you survive this fight with Kronos, send me a sign." She rummaged through her purse and handed me her cell phone.

"Mom," Percy said. "You know demigods and phones—"

"I know," she said. "But just in case. If you're not able to call— then maybe a sign that I could see from anywhere in Manhattan. To let me know you're okay."

"Like Theseus," Paul suggested. "He was supposed to raise white sails when he came home from Athens."

"Except he forgot," Nico muttered. "And his father jumped off the palace roof in despair. But other than that, it was a great idea."

"Killjoy," I hissed.

"What about a flag or a flare?" Sally said. "From Olympus— the Empire State Building?"

"Something blue," Percy noted.

"Yes," Sally agreed. "I'll watch for a blue signal. And I'll try to avoid jumping off palace roofs."

She then gave him one last hug, and kissed his forehead. Nico opted out of a hug, but I let her wrap her arms around me and stroke my hair.

"It's all going to be okay," she whispered.

"I hope so," I said, offering her a half smile. "Thank you."

Nico led us into the kitchen doorway and looked at Mrs. O'Leary. "Sorry, girl. Shadow travel time again."

She whimpered and crossed her paws over her snout.

"Where now?" Percy asked. "Los Angeles?"

"No need," Nico said. "There's a closer entrance to the Underworld."

________

We emerged in Central Park just north of the Pond.

Mrs. O'Leary looked pretty tired as she limped over to a cluster of boulders. She started sniffing around.

"It's okay," Nico said. "She just smells the way home."

"Through the rocks?" Percy asked.

"The Underworld has two major entrances," Nico said. "You know the one in LA."

"Charon's ferry," I recalled.

Nico nodded. "Most souls go that way, but there's a smaller path— harder to find. The Door of Orpheus."

"The dude with the harp."

"The dude with the lyre," I corrected.

"Yes," Nico agreed. "He used his music to charm the earth and open a new path into the Underworld. He sang his way right into Hades's palace and almost got away with his wife's soul."

"Lovely," I said. "How do we open it?"

"We need music," Nico said. "How's your singing?"

"Um no," I said. "I'm not reliving that other traumatic part of my childhood. Can't you just tell it to open? You're the son of Hades and all."

"It's not that easy. We need music."

"I have a better idea," Percy said. He turned and called, "GROVER!"

Quite unfortunately, we waited a long time. Mrs. O'Leary curled up and took a nap.

I occupied myself tinkering with parts of a bike I stole off a tourist, trying to see if I could make a helicopter of sorts.

"It's no good," Nico said after we realized it was one in the morning. "Lydia might as well sing."

"I'm NOT singing," I hissed.

Percy suddenly gasped.

"What happened?" Nico asked.

"I got through. He's... yeah. He's on his way."

A minute later, the tree next to us shivered. Grover fell out of the branches, right on his head.

"Grover!" Percy yelled.

"Satyr!" Mrs. O'Leary said. "To play fetch?"

"No, baby," I said quickly, stifling a laugh. "You okay, dude?"

"Oh, I'm fine," he said, rubbing his head. His horns had grown so much they poked an inch above his curly hair. "I was at the other end of the park. The dryads had this great idea of passing me through the trees to get me here. They don't understand height very well."

"Good to see you, G-man," Percy said. "You remember Nico."

Grover nodded at Nico, then he gave Percy and I a hug. He smelled like a fresh-mown lawn.

"Perrrrrcy!" Grover bleated. "I missed you! I miss camp. They don't serve very good enchiladas in the wilderness."

"I was worried," Percy said. "Where've you been the last two months?"

"The last two—" Grover's smile faded. "The last two months? What are you talking about?"

"We haven't heard from you," I said. "Juniper's worried. We sent Iris-messages, but—"

"Hold on," Grover said. "What... what month is it?"

"August."

The color drained from his face. "That's impossible. It's June. I just lay down to take a nap..." his eyes suddenly widened and he grabbed Percy's arms. "I remember now! He knocked me out. Percy we have to stop him! I'd been following this strange scent and saw a man in a long black coat walking the park, and I noticed he didn't cast a shadow. On a sunny day! And he shimmered as he moved."

"Like a mirage?" Nico asked.

"Yes! And whenever he passed humans—"

"The humans would pass out and curl up and go to sleep," Nico guessed. "And after he was gone they'd get up and go about their business like nothing happened."

"Woah, do you know this guy?" I asked.

"Afraid so," Nico said grimly. "Grover, what happened?"

"Well I followed him. He was looking around the buildings like he was making estimates. He even put a mortal girl to sleep and felt her forehead like he was taking her temperature. I confronted him and asked what he was doing. He said 'just having a look around. You should always scout a battlefield before a battle.' I said something really smart like, 'This forest is under my protection. You won't start any battles here!' He laughed and said 'You're lucky I'm saving my energy for the main event, little satyr. I'll just grant you a short nap. Pleasant dreams.' And that's the last thing I remember."

Nico exhaled. "Grover, you met Morpheus, the God of Dreams. You're lucky you _ever_ woke up."

"Wait— why didn't the nymphs try and wake you?" Percy asked.

Grove shrugged. "Most nymphs aren't good with time. Two months for a tree— that's nothing. They probably didn't think anything was wrong."

Percy furrowed his eyebrows. "We've got to figure out what Morpheus was doing in the park. I don't like the 'main event' thing he mentioned."

I felt a tingle in my brain. I had a feeling about it, but I wasn't sure.

"He's working for Kronos," Nico said. "We know that already. A lot of the minor gods are. This just proves there's going to be an invasion."

"Wait a minute," I said, tapping my forehead with my palm. "What if... oh my gods. Percy— remember how Paul was asking how the invasion was possible? And how the mortals would go by without seeing so many monsters?"

"Yeah," Percy said. "But what about it?"

"There was something— the Prophecy! 'And see the world in endless sleep,'" I said. "Morpheus is saving his energy for the main event... making calculations of how big the city is... and feeling mortal temperatures... what if he's going to put every mortal to sleep so they don't interfere?"

Grover, Nico, and Percy's jaws all popped open.

"Crap," Percy hissed. "That... that actually makes perfect sense. We need to tell Chiron."

Nico however, butted in before I could say anything. "See? Percy, this is we have to get on with our plan."

"Wait," Grover said. "What plan?"

We told him, and Grover tugged at his leg fur.

"You're not serious," he said. "Not the Underworld again."

"I'm not asking you to come, man," Percy promised. "I know you just woke up. But we need some music to open the door. Can you do it?"

Grover took out his reed pipes. "I guess I could try. I know a few Nirvana tunes that can split rocks. But Percy, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Please, man," Percy said. "It would mean a lot. For old times' sake?"

Grover whimpered, and I patted his shoulder reassuringly. "As I recall, in the old times we almost died a lot. But okay, here goes nothing."

He put his pipes to his lips and played a shrill, lively tune. The boulders trembled. A few more stanzas, and they cracked open, revealing a triangular crevice.

"Thanks," Percy said. "I think...."

That place looked creepy as Tartarus.

"Perrrrrrcy, is Kronos really going to invade?"

"I think so," Percy whispered.

"I've got to rally up the nature spirits then," Grover said. "Maybe we can help. I'll see if we can find this Morpheus."

"Tell Juniper you're okay first!" I called as Grover bolted away.

Once he'd vanished, I woke up Mrs. O'Leary. We didn't waste time heading downstairs— the hellhound especially. She went way ahead of us, barking happily.

Nico was the one who lagged behind.

"Hey, you good?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said, looking doubtfully at me. "Just keep moving...."

Eventually we emerged at the base of a cliff. To our right, the River Styx gushed from rocks and roared off in a cascade of rapids. To our left, fires burned on the ramparts of Erebos, the great black walls of Hades's kingdom.

"Bad flashbacks," Percy muttered to me as we walked.

"Tell me about it," I winced.

Just then, Mrs. O'Leary chose to drop a random human leg bone in front of me and wagged her tail, yapping playfully.

I picked up the bone. "Not now, baby. And not with this bone. Osteoporosis. Will break if it hits the ground."

She looked sad.

"So Nico... how do we do this?" Percy asked.

"We have to go inside the gates first."

"But the river's right here," I noted.

"I have to get something. It's the only way."

He said nothing more and just walked off.

Percy and I reluctantly followed him.

Mrs. O'Leary decided halfway there that she would say 'hi' to Cerberus, which I noticed made Nico smile for a solid second before frowning again.

"Hey," Percy said, looking across a series of black fields of grass dotted with black poplar trees. "We're inside the gates already. Where are we—"

Mrs. O'Leary growled. A shadow appeared, taking the form of a Fury.

"Mrs. Dodds," Percy said.

She bared her fangs. "Welcome back, honey."

Her two Fury sisters swooped down and settled beside her.

"You know Alecto?" Nico asked.

"She was my math teacher," Percy said.

"She tried to cut my arm off four years ago," I added.

Nico nodded and looked up at the Furies. "I've done what my father asked. Take us to the palace."

I tensed. "Nico what—"

"I'm afraid this is my new lead, Percy, and Lydia," Nico said. "My father promised me information about my family. But he wants to see you both before we try the river. I'm sorry."

"You've got to be kidding me!" I hissed. I was about to draw Slasher, but the Furies swooped down over Percy and I and began flying us to the palace.

"Don't struggle honey," one of the sisters told me. "I'd hate to drop you."

Below us, Mrs. O'Leary barked angrily and jumped, trying to reach us, but we were too high.

I wished I could tell her to attack Nico. "Down girl— please. It'll be okay."

She whimpered and turned in circles as the Furies swerved forward.

Unfortunately they gave zero shits about Percy and I, and dropped us like sacks of turnips in the palace garden.

"Watch it," I snapped after I nearly broke my wrist. "These are valuable hands."

The thrones above us suddenly shook, and then shimmered. Three figures appeared— Hades and Persephone on their thrones, and an older woman standing between them. They seemed to be in the middle of an argument.

"—told you he was a bum!" The older woman said.

"Mother!" Persephone replied.

"We have visitors!" Hades barked. "Please!"

He looked down at us. "Percy Jackson and little Lydia Castellan. At last."

I ignored him, and knelt. "My ladies, Demeter, Persephone."

Hades scoffed, but Demeter beamed at me.

"At least one of them is respectful," she said.

Nico stepped forward. "Father, I have done as you asked."

"Took you long enough," Hades grumbled. "Your sister would've done a better job."

I almost felt sorry for Nico. ALMOST.

"What do you want, Hades?" Percy said sharply.

"To talk of course," Hades said, twisting his mouth into a cruel smile. "Didn't Nico tell you?"

"So this whole quest was a lie," I spat at Nico. "And you— you made me go and see that— that woman. Again."

"Oh no," Hades said. "He does want to help you, Jackson and he really did need you, Castellan. The boy is as honest as he is dense. I simply convinced him to take a small detour and bring you here first."

"Father," Nico said. "You promised you wouldn't harm them. You said if I brought them, you would tell me about my past— about my mother."

Persephone sighed dramatically. "Can we please not talk about that woman in my presence?"

"I'm sorry, my dove," Hades said. "I had to promise the boy something."

Demeter huffed. "I warned you, daughter. This scoundrel Hades is no good. You could've married the god of doctors or the god of lawyers but no... you HAD to eat the pomegranate."

"Mother—"

"And get stuck in the Underworld!"

"Mother please—"

"And here it is August, and do you come home like you're supposed to? Do you ever think about your poor lonely mother?"

"DEMETER!" Hades shouted. "That is enough. You are a guest in my house."

"Oh, a house is it?" She said. "You call this dump a house? Make my daughter live in this dark, damp—"

"I told you," Hades said, grinding his teeth. "There's a WAR in the world above. You and Persephone are better off here with me."

"Excuse me," Percy cut in. "But if you're going to kill us, could you just get on with it?"

I fought back the urge to smirk.

"Well this one has an attitude," Demeter observed.

"Indeed," Hades agreed. "I'd love to kill him."

"Father!" Nico protested. "You promised!"

"Husband, we talked about this," Persephone chided. "You can't go incinerating every hero. Besides, he's brave. I like that."

Hades rolled his eyes. "You liked that Orpheus fellow too. Look how well that turned out. Let me kill him, just a little bit."

"Go big or go home," I huffed.

Demeter's lip twitched.

"Father, you promised," Nico said again. "You said you only wanted to talk to them. You said if I brought them, you'd explain."

Hades glowered, smoothing the folds of his robes. "And so I shall. Your mother— what can I tell you? She was a wonderful woman." He glanced uncomfortably at Persephone. "Forgive me, my dear. I mean for a mortal, of course. Her name was Maria di Angelo. She was from Venice, but her father was a diplomat in Washington, D.C. That's where I met her. When you and your sister were young, it was a bad time to be children of Hades. World War 2 was brewing. A few of my, ah, _other children_ were leading the losing side. I thought it best to put you out of harm's way."

"That's why you hid us in the Lotus Casino?"

Hades shrugged. "You didn't age. You didn't realize time was passing. I waited for the right time to bring you out."

"But happened to our mother? Why don't I remember her?"

Hades's face twitched, and I sensed it was a difficult topic.

"Not important," Hades snapped.

"What? Of course it's important. And you had other children— why were we the only ones who were sent away? And who was the lawyer who got us out?"

Hades grit his teeth. "You would do well to listen more and talk less, boy. As for the lawyer..."

He snapped his fingers, and the Fury Alecto morphed into a middle aged man in a pinstriped suit.

"You!" Nico spat.

"I do lawyers and teachers very well!" The Fury cackled.

Nico was trembling. "But why did you free us from the casino?"

"You know why," Hades said. "This idiot son of Poseidon cannot be allowed to be the child of the prophecy."

"You should be helping Olympus," I said. "All the other gods are fighting Typhon and you're sitting here—"

"Waiting things out!" Hades hissed. "Yes, that's correct. When's the last time Olympus ever helped me out, half-blood? When's the last time a child of MINE was ever welcomed as a hero?"

"We all consider Bianca a hero but okay," I snapped.

He flinched. "I will stay here with my forces intact. Why should I rush out and help them?"

"What will you do when Kronos comes after you?" Percy asked.

"Let him try," Hades challenged. "He'll he weakened. And my son here, Nico... well he's not much now, I'll grant you. It would've been better if Bianca had lived. But give him four more years of training. We can hold out that long, surely. Nico will turn sixteen as the prophecy says, and then he will make the decision that will save the world. And I will be king of the gods."

"Are you stupid?" I said. "Kronos is your FATHER. You have to know him better than that."

"Exactly!" Percy said. "He'll just crush you right after he finishes pulverizing Olympus."

Hades spread his hands. "Well you'll get a chance to find out, half-blood. Because you'll both be waiting out this war in my dungeons."

"No!" Nico said. "Father, that wasn't our agreement. And you haven't told me everything!"

"I've told you all you need to know," Hades said. "As for our agreement, I spoke with Jackson and Castellan. I did not harm them. You got your information. If you had wanted a better deal, you should've made me swear on the Styx. Now go to your room!" He waved his hand and Nico vanished.

"That boy needs to eat more," Demeter grumbled. "He's too skinny. He needs more cereal."

Persephone rolled her eyes. "Mother, enough with the cereal!"

"Well she isn't wrong," I muttered.

"Excuse me?" Demeter and Persephone said, looking sideways at each other.

"Just saying," I said. "It helps control weight in a manner that won't lead to obesity but won't allow a person to be underweight. Plus it's good for your mental health and we all know Nico looks depressed all the time. Cereals with lots of fiber also help you have good gastrointestinal health and reduce the risk of colon cancer."

Percy face palmed himself as if to say 'this is not the time to be a nerd' while Persephone looked annoyed, as if she'd just watched the worst cereal commercial ever.

Demeter however, was pleased. "Now this demigod I do like. And considering what I've heard of you, Lydia Castellan, you would be a perfect wife for one particular son of mine."

I winced. "Uh— I'm good."

"My lord Hades," Persephone said, taking his arm. "Are you sure we can't let these two go? They're awfully brave."

"No, my dear," Hades said. "I've spared their lives. That's enough."

"Not for this one," Demeter said, pointing at me. "Let her go."

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere unless Percy's with me," I said fiercely, already reaching for Slasher.

"Fine," Persephone said, shrugging. "What's for breakfast? I'm starving."

"Cereal," Demeter replied.

"Mother!" The two women promptly disappeared in a swirl of flowers and wheat.

"Don't feel too bad, Percy Jackson," Hades said. "My ghosts keep me well informed of Kronos's plans. I can assure you that you had no chance to stop him in time. By tonight, it will be too late for your precious Mount Olympus. The trap will be sprung."

"What trap?" Percy demanded. "If you know about it, do something! At least let me tell the other gods!"

Hades smiled. "You are spirited. I'll give you credit for it. But you won't be delivering that message. Have fun in my dungeon. We'll check on you again in—oh, fifty or sixty years."

He waved his hand and Percy vanished.

I whipped out my sword, and Hades rolled his eyes.

"Don't come at me with that twig, demigod," he said.

"Let him go," I growled, stepping closer to the throne.

"No, thank you," he hissed coyly. "I was intending for you to join him in that dungeon, Little Castellan. You are one of the more meddlesome ones and unfortunately a leader. You shouldn't be allowed out to command the army. However, Demeter seems to favor you and if I lock you in my dungeon she will get her revenge. Therefore I want you to do what you Hermes bastards do best. Be a messenger. Let the Camp know of Jackson's unfortunate predicament. You can tell them about the trap if you'd like. But you won't be able to fight them off."

"We will," I growled. "And Percy will be with us. I can sense that."

"What, are you going to teleport into his cell?" He asked. "You won't be able to get out."

"I just know."

"Whatever, demigod," he said. "Do as you please. Now excuse me, I must prepare the Gates for when half your Camp is killed tonight."

He waved his hand and the image of the Underworld vanished. Next thing I knew, I'd been dropped directly onto the the Hermes table in the dining hall.


	20. My Dad Almost Kills Percy

Once I managed to get Slasher unstuck from where it lodged in the table and didn't have Connor's mac and cheese mixed in my hair, I went straight to the Big House.

Annabeth was sitting on the couch while Chiron stood next to her. She looked eager to find out why I had suddenly been plopped onto the Hermes table. Unfortunately, I knew she wouldn't take it well when she found out that Percy was going to take a dip in the River Styx.

"Hey Annabeth," I said, wringing my hands together. "Could you... wait outside?"

She blinked, and looked mildly offended. "Why?"

"Because there are some parts of this that I don't think I have the right to tell you. It's up to Percy. And it... it's personal for me."

She gritted her teeth but nodded. "Fine."

She stepped out and Chiron urged me to sit.

I calmly explained to him everything we'd done since the moment we arrived in Connecticut and up until Hades had brought me back, including my theory regarding Morpheus putting Manhattan to sleep. I even went as far as to tell him about our Underworld adventure and how I'd gotten so unceremoniously kicked out.

"I understand then why Annabeth was not to hear this," Chiron said, his hands clasped together. "This is very alarming, Lydia. If your theory is correct then Kronos most unfortunately has a plan."

"I don't know what to do," I mumbled. "I want to mobilize the troops. I want them to stand guard on Olympus. But Percy is MIA. And I don't know how this would all work... I want him to help me command the others. This Prophecy, as far as we know, is about him. I feel more confident with him by my side."

"I understand that," Chiron said. "I believe that we should—"

Annabeth sprinted in, her phone in her hand. Her eyes were wide. "Percy called!"

"What?" I shrieked. "But how?"

"I don't know— the call didn't go through— but I got a voicemail from him!" She quickly tapped into her phone settings and Percy's voice rang out. "I'm okay. Will let you know where to meet me soon. Tell Lydia to start mobilizing the camp as soon as possible. When you're ready, I need everyone to meet me at the Empire State Building. A trap is going to be sprung on Olympus tonight."

Chiron looked at me uncertainly.

I paled. "Okay... then that's what we'll do."

"No!" Annabeth cried. "Explain to me what the hell this is all about!"

"It's not exactly my place to say, Annabeth," I mumbled. "Just wait for Percy to tell you."

"I need to know NOW, Lydia—"

"Well you're going to have to wait!" I snapped. "Gather your siblings and anyone in the volleyball courts. Tell the Apollo kids to pack as much ambrosia and nectar as possible and have them all take their medical tools. Have everyone outside go get armor and their weapons and a clean set of clothes. I'll alert anyone in the individual cabins and the sword arena. When you're ready go to the edge of camp. We'll need Argus and someone else to drive us in the vans."

Annabeth gritted her teeth but stormed out.

Chiron sighed. "At least he is okay, yes?"

"Yeah," I mumbled. "And he's probably dipped in the Styx by now. I hope this works..."

I then sprinted out.

It didn't take long to gather everyone. Soon it was only the Ares cabin that remained entirely unprepared.

I marched up to Clarisse's cabin and knocked on it hard. "Clarisse!"

Chris opened the door. He smiled and I waved, before walking up to Clarisse, who was apparently working on Capture the Flag strategy.

"Hello," I said in annoyance. "Have you not heard me yelling at everyone?"

"I already told you all, Princess, I'm not helping," She sneered. "I've been insulted for the last time."

"Don't be an idiot! I heard Michael Yew just telling Annabeth that he gave you the flying chariot! You got what you wanted!"

"It's not enough!" She snapped. "Ares has wounded pride. We're not lifting a single fucking finger."

I gritted my teeth. "Fine. I hope you're ready to defend the camp by yourselves if we all get killed. But oh, you won't be ready. Because you'll be ALONE. Last chance, Clarisse. Don't do this to us."

She shook her head. "It's not happening. Go without us. And don't bother trying to suck up."

I stomped my foot in frustration. "You're such an idiot!" I hissed, turning to walk out.

Chris stepped in front of me and held my shoulders.

"She needs time," he whispered. "Just... let it happen."

I grumbled. "Can't you convince her?"

"You're funny if you think I can do that."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine."

Chris pulled me into a hug. "Just be safe, little sis, okay?" He kissed my forehead and released me.

I half-smiled. "Thanks."

Then I bolted out.

Once we'd gotten everyone onto the vans, we began to drive full speed toward the Empire State Building.

"You're still not going to tell me?" Annabeth muttered.

I groaned. "Annabeth I'm not even sure I was supposed to know about it. It's up to Percy to tell you. And he probably will."

She shook her head. "How bad is it? On a scale of one to ten?"

"Er— I'm not sure how 'bad' it's intended to be... I'd say it's a solid 9 on the good scale and maybe a 5 on the bad scale."

"That makes no sense."

"Hey, YOU'RE the Athena kid, not me."

She offered me a smile.

Her phone rang, making half the campers flinch. Annabeth slid her finger over the screen to pick up almost immediately.

"Hey," Percy said from the other line. "You get my message?"

"Percy where have you been?" Annabeth shrieked, looking sideways at me. "Your message said almost nothing and Lydia isn't telling! We've been worried sick!"

"I'll fill you in later," he promised. "Where are you?"

"We're on our way like you asked— almost to the Queens Midtown Tunnel. But Percy, what are you planning? We've left the camp virtually undefended and there's no way the gods—"

"Trust me," he said. "I'll see you there."

He hung up, making Annabeth growl.

___________

It was late afternoon when we pulled up to the curb in our Delphi Strawberry Service cans.

The doors slid open and everyone in each of the three vans piled out.

There were a total of forty one of us here. Great.

Annabeth and I walked up to Percy.

I could immediately see the difference in him. He looked slightly tanner and stronger— like he was either pumped up on steroids or just ate a thousand energy bars.

"What is it?" Annabeth asked.

Percy blinked. He must've been staring at her.

"What's what?"

"You're looking at me funny."

I wanted to say 'He's in love with you!'

"It's, uh, nothing," Percy stammered. He turned to the rest of the group. "Thanks for coming, everybody. Chiron, after you."

Chiron shook his head. "I came to wish you luck, my boy. But I make it a point to never visit Olympus unless I am summoned."

"But you're our leader."

He smiled. "I am your trainer and your teacher. That is not the same as being your leader. I will go gather what allies I can. It may not be too late to convince my brother centaurs to help. Meanwhile, YOU called the campers here, Percy. YOU are the leader."

Percy's mouth dropped open slightly as everyone looked up at him expectantly. He looked at me and I motioned for him to speak.

"Okay," he said. "Well— like I told Annabeth on the phone, something bad is going to happen by tonight. Some kind of trap. We've got to get an audience with Zeus and convince him to defend the city. Remember, we can't take no for an answer."

Chiron shook his hand. "You'll do well, Percy. Just remember your strengths and beware your weaknesses."

He winked knowingly and I nodded to Percy. He nodded back. "Okay. Let's go."

We walked into the building. A security guard was sitting behind the desk in the lobby, reading a big black book with a flower on the cover. He glanced up when we all filed in, our weapons and armor clanking. "School group? We're about to close up."

"No," Percy said. "Six hundredth floor."

He checked us out. His eyes were pale blue and his head was completely bald. I couldn't tell if he was human or not, but he seemed to notice our weapons, so I guess he wasn't fooled by the Mist.

"There is no six hundredth floor, kid," he said, as if it was a required line he didn't believe. "Move along."

Percy leaned across the desk. "Forty one demigods attract an awful lot of monsters. You really want us hanging out in your lobby?"

He considered it. Then he hit the buzzer and the security gate swung open. "Make it quick."

"You don't want us going through the metal detectors," I chirped.

"Um, no," he agreed. "Elevator on the right. I guess you know the way."

Percy tossed him a drachma and we headed that way.

It took two trips while listening to 'Stayin' Alive' to get everyone up to Olympus. The whole time I was thinking about how much the song's rhythm matched the pace for chest compressions.

Olympus of course, was very different this time. Vibrant as ever... but empty.

Annabeth studied Percy as we walked through the golden scenery. "You look.... different. Where exactly did you go?"

Percy looked at me gratefully. So it was a good thing I didn't tell her.

"Tell you later," he sad. "Come on."

We made our way across the sky bridge into the streets of Olympus. The shops were closed. The parks were empty. A couple of Muses sat on a bench strumming flaming lyres, but their hearts didn't seem to be in it. A lone Cyclops swept the street with an uprooted oak tree. A minor godling spotted us from a balcony and ducked inside, closing the shutters.

We passed under a big marble archway with started of Zeus and Hera on either side. Annabeth made a face at the queen of the gods.

"Hate her," she muttered.

"Has she been cursing you or something?" Percy asked.

I snorted. Last year Annabeth had gotten on the Hera's bad side last year and the goddess had gotten her revenge by having her sacred animals the cows leave her little presents everywhere for her to step in.

"Look!" Pollux yelled suddenly, pointing toward the horizon. "What is that?"

We all froze. Blue lights were streaking across the evening sky towards Olympus like tiny comments. They seemed to be coming from all over the city, heading straight toward the mountain. As they got close, they fizzled out. We watched them for several minutes and they didn't seem to do any damage, but still it was strange.

"Like infrared scopes," Michael Yew muttered. "We're being targeted."

"Let's get to the palace," Percy suggested.

No one was guarding the hall of the gods. The gold and silver doors stood wide open. Our footsteps echoed as we walked into the throne room.

Of course "room" doesn't really cover it. The place was the size of Madison Square Garden. High above, the blue ceiling glittered with constellations. Twelve giant empty thrones stood in a U around a hearth. In one corner, a house sized globe of water hovered in the air, and inside swam Percy and I's old friend the Ophiotaurus, half cow, half serpent.

"Mooooo!" He squealed, turning in a circle.

"Hello, baby," I said, putting my hand on the glass.

"Hey man," Percy said, coming to stand beside me. "They treating you okay?"

"Mooo," Bessie answered.

Ophiotaurus was one of the only animal languages I couldn't understand.

We walked towards the thrones, and a woman's voice said. "Hello again, Percy Jackson and Lydia Castellan. You and your friends are welcome."

Hestia stood by the hearth, poking the flames with a stick.

Percy and I bowed. "Lady Hestia."

Everyone followed our lead.

"Lydia, you're awake now," she said pleasantly. Then her expression turned grim as her red glowing eyes regarded Percy. "I see you went through with your plan. You bear the curse of Achilles."

Annabeth snapped her head to look at me. I shook my head in hopes she'd get the message and hold her questions for later.

"You must be careful," Hestia warned. "You gained much on your journey. But you are still blind to the most important truth. Perhaps a glimpse is in order."

Annabeth nudged Percy hard in the ribs. "Um... what is she talking about?"

Percy didn't answer. Instead his knees buckled, and it was up to Annabeth and I to catch him.

"Percy!" She cried. "What happened?"

He looked at me frantically. "Did... did you see that?"

"See what?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowed.

Hestia and Percy made eye contact and I understood. She must have given him a vision.

"How long was I out?" Percy muttered.

Annabeth knit her eyebrows. "Percy, you weren't out at all. You just looked at Hestia for like one second and collapsed."

He hastily cleared his throat. "Um, Lady Hestia. We've come on urgent business. We need to see."

"We know what you need," a familiar voice said.

My father's shimmering figure appeared before us. He looked older than he had in Seattle, and much more annoyed. Angry, even.

"I will leave you now," Hestia said, vanishing into smoke.

"Hello Percy," my father said. "Lydia, my daughter."

"Lord Hermes," Percy said as he bowed awkwardly.

I bowed and smiled slightly at my father. "Hey, Dad. And of course, who can forget George and Martha."

His lip twitched into a small smile as he raised his caduceus.

" _I've always liked this one,"_ George said _. "She always says hi to us. And usually brings us rats_."

" _Hello again, Lydia_ ," Martha said.

George looked at Percy. " _He didn't say hello. Disrespectful_."

I giggled as Percy winced.

" _George_ ," Martha scolded. " _Be polite_."

"Hello George," Percy said. "Hey, Martha."

" _Did YOU bring us a rat_?" George inquired.

" _George, stop it_!" Martha chided. " _They're_ _busy_."

" _Too busy for rats_?" George pouted. " _That's sad."_

I smiled and shook my head.

"Lydia," Hermes said in a bit of a forceful voice. "What brings you here?"

"We need to talk to Zeus," Percy blurted out.

My father's eyes turned steely cold. "I am his messenger. May I take a message?"

It didn't seem like he was too happy to be here.

"You guys," Percy said suddenly, turning to everyone else. "Why don't you do a sweep of the city? Check the defenses. See who's left on Olympus. Meet Annabeth, Lydia, and I back here in thirty minutes."

Silena frowned. "But—"

"That's a good idea," I said, sensing why Percy was making them leave. "Connor, Travis, please lead."

They seemed delighted at getting handed such a responsibility in front of our father. They usually only led toilet paper raids.

Hermes' lip twitched again as Connor and Travis commanded everyone to walk out.

"My lord," Annabeth said once we were alone. "Kronos is going to attack New York. You must suspect that. My MOTHER must have foreseen it."

I don't know why she thought she should rub it in because it would've only been funny of my dad didn't look so goddamn pissed.

"Your mother," my father grumbled. He scratched his back with his caduceus, and George and Martha muttered ' _ow, ow, ow_.' "Don't get me started on your mother, young lady. She's the reason I'm here at all. Zeus didn't want any of us to leave the front line. But your mother kept pestering him nonstop, 'It's a trap, it's a diversion, blah, blah, blah.' She wanted to come back herself, but Zeus was not going to let his number one strategist leave his side while we're battling Typhon. And so naturally he sent me to talk to you."

He seemed okay with my presence but not with Percy or Annabeth's.

"But it IS a trap!" Annabeth insisted. "Is Zeus blind?"

Thunder rolled through the sky.

"I'd watch the comments, girl," Hermes warned. "Zeus is not blind or deaf. He has not left Olympus completely undefended."

"But there are these blue lights—"

"Yes, yes, I saw them. Some mischief by that insufferable goddess of magic, Hecate, I'd wager. But as you may have noticed, they aren't doing any damage. Olympus has strong magical wards. Besides, Aeolus, the King of the Winds, has sent his most powerful minions to guard the citadel. No one save the gods can approach Olympus from the air. They would be knocked out of the sky."

Percy raised his hand for permission to speak. I fought back a laugh. "Um... what about that materializing/teleporting thing that you guys do?"

"That's a form of air travel too, Jackson. Very fast, but wind gods are faster. No, if Kronos wants Olympus, he'll have to march through the entire city with his army and take the elevators! Can you see him doing this?"

Perhaps, I dunno.

"Maybe just a few of you could come back?" Percy said meekly.

Hermes shook his head impatiently. "Percy Jackson, you don't understand. Typhon is our greatest enemy."

"I thought it was Kronos," Percy said bluntly.

My father's eyes glowed. "No, Percy. In the old days, Olympus was almost overthrown by Typhon. He is husband of Echidna—"

"Met her at the Arch," I mumbled. "Not nice."

"—and the father of all monsters. We can never forget how close he came to destroying us all; how he humiliated us! We were more powerful back in the old days. Now we can expect no help from Poseidon because he's fighting his own war. Hades sits in his realm and does nothing, and Demeter and Persephone follow his lead. It will take all our remaining power to oppose the storm giant. We can't divide our forces nor wait until he gets to New York. We have to battle him now. And we're making progress."

"Progress?" Percy asked. "He nearly destroyed St. Louis."

"Yes," my father admitted. "But he destroyed only half of Kentucky. He's slowing down. Losing power."

He didn't sound too convinced.

In the corner, Bessie mooed sadly.

"Please, Hermes," Annabeth said. "You said my mother wanted to come. Did she give you any messages for us?"

"Messages," he muttered. "It'll be a great job, they told me. Not much work. Lots of worshippers. Humph. Nobody cares what I have to say. It's always about other people's messages."

I didn't understand why he was acting so bitter towards Annabeth. Was it all because of Athena?

" _Rodents_ ," George mused. " _I'm in it for the rodents_."

" _Shh_ ," Martha scolded. " _We care what Hermes has to say, don't we George_?"

 _"Oh absolutely. Can we go back to battle now? I want to do laser mode again. That's fun_."

"Quiet, both of you," Hermes grumbled. He looked at Annabeth. "Your mother said to warm you that you are on your own. You must hold Manhattan without the help of the gods. As if I didn't know that. Why they pay her to be the wisdom goddess, I'm not sure."

He shook his head. "She also said you should try plan twenty three. She said you would know what that meant."

Annabeth paled. "Go on."

My father turned to Percy. "She said to tell you to 'Remember the rivers.' And uh, something about staying away from her daughter."

Annabeth and Percy blushed.

At last he turned to me. "I wasn't sure what she meant by this— but she asked me to tell you to be careful who you turn your back to."

I tensed. The only person I could think of was Ethan.

"Okay," I said, wringing my hands together. "If it's not too much trouble, could you tell her that I've theorized that Morpheus will be putting the mortals in the city to sleep in order for the strikeforce to come through?"

My father's lip twitched. "That is concerning. But as it's a message from you, I will tell her."

Annabeth looked up. "Thank you, Hermes. And... I wanted to say... I'm sorry about Luke."

My father's face hardened like he'd turned to marble. "You should've left that subject alone."

I furrowed my eyebrows as Annabeth stepped back nervously. "Sorry?"

"SORRY DOESN'T CUT IT!" My father snarled. George and Martha curled around the caduceus, which shimmered and changed into something that looked suspiciously like a high voltage cattle prod. "You should've saved him when you had the chance. You're the only one who could have."

I quickly jumped in front of Annabeth. "Dad, calm down. I-I don't think anyone could have saved him. Not me, not her—"

"Don't defend her, Lydia!" He growled. "She knows exactly what I'm talking about! She just never told you!"

I faltered, and Percy turned the attention to himself.

"Maybe you should blame yourself!" He spat. "Maybe if you hadn't abandoned Luke and Lydia with their mom!"

I felt my chest tighten. I'd have never in a million years blamed it on my father.

Hermes raised his cattle prod, and grew until he was ten feet tall. I was certain I was about to watch him murder Percy.

Just as he prepared to strike, George and Martha leaned in close and whispered something in his ear.

He clenched his teeth, lowered the cattle prod, and turned it back to a staff.

"Percy Jackson," he said in a low growl. "Because you have taken on the curse of Achilles, I must spare you. You are in the hands of the Fates now. But you will NEVER speak to me like that again. You have no idea how much I have sacrificed, how much—"

His voice broke and he shrank back to human size. "My son... and my daughter... my greatest prides... my poor May..."

I felt my chest tighten yet again.

"Look, Lord Hermes," Percy butted in. "I'm sorry, but I need to know. What happened to May? She said something about Luke's fate, and her eyes—"

"You didn't tell him?" Hermes whispered to me, looking up. I could see nothing but deep pain in his eyes.

"I've never told anyone, Dad," I said quietly. "You told me not to."

He nodded. "Lydia, come with me. You two... wait here for her."

He took my arm and led me across the throne room.

"Dad," I said. "What did you mean—?"

"Luke saw her, Lydia," he said. "He told her about how Kronos would take him over. This was... almost a year and a half ago. Before you entered that Labyrinth. If she had joined him..."

"You know that wouldn't have stopped him," I mumbled.

"How can we know for sure?"

I touched the scar on my cheek. "He's tried to kill me so many times. And I had dreams... awful dreams. Ethan has helped me stay alive this long. Even before Luke was Kronos he wanted to kill me. Because I hadn't joined him. And he couldn't risk me fighting on the other side. I... I think he's too far gone, Dad."

Hermes's eyes shut tightly. "You... you had not told me."

"I hadn't seen you..."

He shook his head. "I... I can't think of this anymore. I'm sorry, Lydia. I must go. I have to keep fighting."

"I understand," I mumbled, looking down.

My father pulled me into a tight hug. "You remember... how often your mother talked about his fate, yes?"

"I do... but why?"

"Just be prepared," he said, pressing a kiss on my forehead. "Good luck."

" _Bye, Lydia_ ," George said. " _Bring me a rat next time."_

" _Me too, while you're at it_!" Martha said.

Then my father and the snakes vanished.

The doors of the throne room burst open.

"You need to see this!" Connor said. "Now."

I sprinted to Percy and Annabeth's side, and we quickly ran to a small park at the edge of the mountain. All the campers were clustered around the guardrail.

I looked down at the city. I could see almost everything from here— the East River and the Hudson River carving the shape of Manhattan, the grid of streets, the lights of skyscrapers, the dark stretch of Central Park in the north. Everything looked normal, but something was so wrong.

"I don't... hear anything," Annabeth whispered.

That was the problem.

Even from this height, we all should've been able to hear the noise of the city— millions of people bustling around, thousands of cars and machines— the hum of a huge metropolis.

New York is never silent.

But it was now.

I felt like I'd suddenly watched Ethan, Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, and Grover all die.

That was the feeling that the scene brought me. It was awful.

"What did they do?" Percy said, his voice tight and angry. "What did they do to my city?"

He pushed Michael Yew from the binoculars laid out on the rail.

He them looked up at me, his face pale.

"Damn it, Lydia," he hissed, pointing for me to look down at the people curled up on the sidewalk and in their cars. "I wish your theory was wrong."

"What?" Silena cried. "Are they dead?"

"Not dead," I said in a hollow voice. "Morpheus has put the entire island of Manhattan to sleep. The invasion has started."


	21. I Get A Surprise From My Brother

When we got back outside, Annabeth extracted her Daedalus designed video shield.

"Woah," Percy said. "THAT is cool."

"One of Daedalus's ideas," Annabeth said. "I had Beckendorf make this before—" she glanced at Silena. "Um... anyway, the shield bends sun or moonlight from anywhere in the world to create a reflection. You can literally see any target under the sun or moon as long as natural light is touching it. Look."

We crowded around as Annabeth concentrated. The image zoomed and spun at first, so I got motion sickness just watching it. We were in the Central Park Zoo, then zooming down East 60th, past Bloomingdales's, then turning on Third Avenue.

"Woah," Connor said. "Back up. Zoom in right there."

"What?" Annabeth said nervously. "You see invaders?"

"No— right there, Dylan's Candy Bar," Connor grinned to Travis and I. "It's open and everyone is asleep. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yes," Travis said at the same time I said, "No."

"We're in a war right now," I scolded. "Don't take advantage of the situation."

Annabeth passed her hand in front of the shield and another scene popped up: FDR Drive, looking across the river at Lighthouse Park.

"This will let us see what's going on across the city," she said.

While she and I looked near our surrounding area, Percy whistled, and asked Mrs O'Leary to go find Grover.

"I don't get it," Pollux noted. "Why didn't we fall asleep too? Why just the mortals?"

"This is a huge spell," Silena said. "The bigger the spell, the easier it is to resist. If you want to sleep millions of mortals, you've got to cast a very thin layer of magic. Sleeping demigods is much harder."

I nodded, very impressed.

"When did you learn so much about magic?" Percy asked quizzically.

Silena blushed. "I don't spend all my time on my wardrobe."

"Percy, Lydia," Annabeth said. "You'd better see this."

We turned our attention back to the shield, which now showed Long Island near La Guardia. A fleet of dozen speedboats raced through the dark water toward Manhattan. Each boat was packed with demigods in full Greek armor. At the back of the lead boat, a purple banner emblazoned with a black scythe flapped in the night wind. The battle flag of Kronos, no doubt.

"Scan the perimeter of the island," Percy said. "Quick."

Annabeth shifted the scene south to the harbor. A Staten Island Ferry was plowing through the waves near Ellis Island. The deck was crowded with dracaenae and a whole pack of hellhounds.

Swimming in front of the ship was a pod of marine mammals— telkhines.

The scene shifted again— the Jersey shore right at the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel. A hundred assorted monsters were marching past the lanes of stopped traffic: giants with clubs, rogue Cyclopes, a few fire spitting dragons, and just to rub it in, a World War II era Sherman tank, pushing cars out of its way as it rumbled into the tunnel.

"What's happening with the mortals outside Manhattan?" Percy asked. "Is the whole state asleep?"

"I don't think so," Annabeth murmured. "But it's strange. Manhattan for sure is totally asleep. But there's like a fifty mile radius around the island where time is running really, really slow. The closer you get to Manhattan, the slower it is."

"Kronos must be slowing time," I said, looking at the scene where cars were moving and birds were flying at about one mile per hour.

"Hecate might be helping," Katie Gardner said. "Look how the cars are all veering away from the Manhattan exits, like they're getting a subconscious message to turn back."

"I don't know," Annabeth grumbled. "Somehow they've surrounded Manhattan in layers of magic. The outside world might not even realize something is wrong. Any mortals coming toward Manhattan will slow down so much they won't know what's happening."

"Like flies in amber," Jake Mason murmured.

"Yeah," I sighed. "We shouldn't expect any help coming in."

"All right," Percy said. "We're going to hold Manhattan."

Silena tugged at her armor. "Percy, Manhattan is huge."

"We ARE going to hold it," Percy said. "We have to."

"He's right," I said. "The gods of the wind should keep Kronos's forces away from Olympus by air, so he'll try a ground assault. We have to cut off entrances to the island."

I turned to Percy. "Athena wanted you to remember the rivers, right?"

His eyes widened and he seemed to figure something out. "Okay. Yeah. I think I know how to take care of it." He cleared his throat. "We need to guard the bridges and tunnels. Let's assume they'll try midtown or downtown assault, at least on their first try. That would be the most direct way to the Empire State Building. Michael— I want you to take Apollo's cabin to the Williamsburg Bridge.

"Katie— Demeter's cabin takes the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. Grow thorn bushes and poison ivy in the tunnel. Do whatever you have to, but keep them out of there.

"Connor, take half of the Hermes cabin and cover the Manhattan Bridge. Travis, you take the other half and cover the Brooklyn Bridge."

"What about Lydia?" Travis asked.

"She'll go where she's most needed," Percy said.

My brothers and I nodded.

"Wait!" I said, looking at the Stolls. "Absolutely no stopping for looting or pillaging! None of you!"

There were collective groans from my cabin.

"Silena, take the Aphrodite crew to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel."

"Oh my gods!" One of her sisters said. "Fifth Avenue is SO on our way! We could accessorize and monsters like totally hate the smell of Givenchy."

"No delays," Percy said. "Well... the perfume thing, if you think it'll work."

Six Aphrodite girls kissed him on the cheek. Annabeth looked mildly jealous.

"Alright, enough," he said, closing his eyes. "The Holland Tunnel. Jake, take the Hephaestus cabin there. Use Greek fire, set traps. Whatever you've got."

"Gladly!" Jake said. "We've got a score to settle. For Beckendorf!"

The whole cabin roared in approval.

"The 59th Street Bridge," Percy continued. "Clarisse—"

"We'll take that," Annabeth said quickly. "Malcolm, take the Athena cabin, activate plan twenty three along the way just like I showed you. Hold that position."

"You got it," he said.

"I'll go with Percy," Annabeth said. "Then we'll either join you or go wherever we're needed."

"No detours, you two," I said with a smirk.

Percy and Annabeth turned red, so I decided to pick up where they left off.

"You all know Annabeth's number, right?" I asked. "If anything— and I mean ANYTHING happens and you need to tell her, then pick a random phone up and call. But make sure once you use it, you drop it, so the monsters can't zero in on you. And NO, Travis, you cannot keep them, no matter how nice it is."

He and Connor pouted.

"Hold it," Jake said. "You forgot the Lincoln Tunnel."

Percy faltered. That's where the Sherman tank was coming in.

"How about you leave that to us?"

I threw myself into Thalia's arms. "Yes! Oh I'm so glad to see you!"

She grinned and patted my back. "The Hunters of Artemis, reporting for duty."

"Where have you been the last year?" Percy asked. "You've got twice as many Hunters now!"

"Long, LONG story," she chuckled. "I bet my adventures were more dangerous than yours, Jackson. And yours too, Little Castellan."

"In your dreams," I scoffed jokingly.

"We'll see," she promised. "After this is over, you three and me: cheeseburgers and fries at that hotel on West 57th."

"Le Parker Meridian," Percy recalled. "You're on. And Thalia, thanks."

She shrugged. "Those monsters won't know what hit them. Hunters, move out!"

She slapped her silver bracelet, and the shield Aegis spiraled into full form. The golden head of Medusa molded in the center was so horrifying, the campers backed away.

The Hunters took off down the avenue, followed by their wolves and falcons.

"Thank the gods," Annabeth sighed in relief. "But if we don't blockade the rivers from those boats, guarding the bridges and tunnels will be pointless."

"You're right," Percy said. He turned to us. "You're the greatest heroes of this millenia. It doesn't matter how many monsters come at you. Fight bravely and we will win." He raised Riptide and shouted, "FOR OLYMPUS!"

We all shouted in response.

Percy and Annabeth pulled me aside as everyone began to disperse.

"We need to go work the rivers and plan twenty three," Percy said. "You're the strongest one we have and we need you to stay with one of the groups."

"I understand," I said. "Where do you need me?"

Annabeth bit her lip. "I really do think Williamsburg is what we should worry most about. I think you should go there."

"Got it. I'll follow them now."

"You're okay working with Michael?"

"Honest to the gods his insults mean nothing at this point. I'm working to save Olympus."

Annabeth smiled. "Thank you. Call us if anything."

"Gotcha."

I then ran to follow the Apollo cabin, meeting Michael in the lead.

He looked sideways at me and reddened. "I'm sorry."

"It's whatever, Michael," I said. "Let's just kick ass, okay? And never question my loyalty again or I WILL dropkick you."

His lip twitched. "Alright."

I checked my watch. "Okay, fuck it. We're not waking for an hour."

"What?" Will Solace said. "But how else will we get there?"

"How about I steal us that minivan?" I asked, eyeing a red car parked on the side, without any mortals in it.

Michael looked around at his siblings and shrugged. "If it can get us there fast then sure."

I quickly went to the minivan and waved my hand. The locks on the doors popped, and everyone climbed in. I hopped in the driver's seat and waved my hand again, causing the car to start.

"Can you actually drive?" Will asked nervously from the very back.

"Pfft, not cars," I said. "But I'll figure it out as we go."

I pushed the gas and we shot forward.

Might I note that no mortals or animals were harmed in our journey? Thanks.

I think perhaps I left several Apollo kids feeling queasy but no one died, and we arrived to Williamsburg Bridge in fifteen minutes rather than an hour.

"Jesus," Michael huffed as we all got off once I'd parked the van the best I could. "Please do not EVER drive me anywhere again."

"Oh shut up, Yew, it's not like you could've done any better."

Will laughed nervously as he staggered out.

We managed to find some pretty good places to set up hidden archers and the rest of us waited in the center of the street.

"INCOMING!" One of the Apollo kids yelled suddenly.

There was a loud roar and the ground shook.

Next thing we knew, a monster army was bursting through the bridge, and arrows were flying everywhere.

"Damn it!" Michael snarled. "Lydia, how good is your archery?"

"Sincerely sucky!" I hissed, already whipping out my special throwing knives.

"Excellent!" He said, thrusting a bow into my hand. "These are sonic arrows! Fire the best you can!"

I didn't have time to argue because he ran to get another bow.

Of course I did as he'd said, and began firing at random, making enormous blasts of cords burst through the street, making cars— and luckily monsters— explode.

I began running around to shoot from different angles and soon realized why Michael had made me be an archer for the time being.

It wasn't tiring me out in the slightest, and I was the strongest fighter present at the moment. I needed to save my energy.

The monsters didn't show signs of stopping. They just kept coming, and I didn't understand how the hell there were so many of them.

We had to retreat soon, and many of the Apollo kids were shooting arrows over their shoulders as they sprinted back.

I heard a loud whistling in the air and snapped my head up.

Blackjack swooped overhead, Percy and Annabeth on his back.

"Thank the gods!" I cried, thrusting the sonic arrows and their bow to Michael, and taking out a dagger. I winded my arm and threw it like a boomerang. It sliced clean through four dracaenae, then came back to me. I luckily caught it right before it hit Michael.

All around me, cars were burning. Campers were sniping from behind the cars who weren't on fire, setting off explosive arrows and dropping caltrops in the road, building fiery barricades wherever they could. They'd started dragging any sleeping drivers out of the way, which was slowing us down.

Blackjack dove downward, and Percy and Annabeth jumped off of his back.

Michael and I immediately ran toward them.

"Glad you could join us!" He said. Where are the other reinforcements?"

"For now, we're it!" Percy said.

"Lovely," I said, whipping out Slasher. "So what's the plan, cap?"

Percy furrowed his eyebrows. "Well—"

"We have to fall back," Michael said. "I've got Kayla and Austin setting traps farther down the bridge."

"No," Percy said, waving his hand. "Bring your campers forward to this position and wait for my signal. We're going to drive the enemy back to Brooklyn."

Michael laughed. "How do you plan to do that?"

Percy drew his sword. "Lydia and I will charge at them. Right in the frontlines. We'll keep them focused on us."

"Let me come with you," Annabeth said.

"Too dangerous," he said. "Besides, I need you to help Michael coordinate the defensive line. We'll distract the monsters. You group up here. Move sleeping mortals out of the way. Then you can start picking off monsters. If anybody can do all that, you can."

Michael snorted. "Thanks a lot."

Annabeth nodded reluctantly. "All right. Get moving."

"Don't I get a kiss for luck?" Percy blurted out. "It's kind of a traditional, right?"

Gods fucking damn I wish I had that much confidence.

Annabeth smirked slightly and drew her knife. "Come back alive, Seaweed Brain. Then we'll see."

Percy smiled like an idiot and waved for me to follow him.

"Ballsy," I said. "Congratulations."

He flushed red.

We marched right up to the monster army, which was being led by the Minotaur.

"Hey Beef Boy!" Percy shouted. "Didn't I kill you already?"

The Minotaur growled and pounded his fists into the hood of a Lexus, and it crumpled like aluminum foil.

Percy smirked to me. "Been nice fighting with you."

"Likewise, partner," I chirped. "On three?"

"Why wait?"

We charged.

Several dracaenae near the front launched flaming javelins at me. I ducked and caught one, throwing it back. It cut one through her side and she burst to dust. Her friends hissed angrily.

"That's fucking right!" I yelled. "You don't want the smoke!"

I leapt forward and dove under their legs, standing up suddenly to cut through their abdomens, making them snarl as they evaporated.

Percy was fighting the Minotaur one on one beside me. I rushed forward, and began dueling with two demigod fighters at once. I felt awful slashing through their sides and kicking their weapons away, but I knew I had to.

I heard a roar, and saw out of the corner of my eye that Percy had just finished off the Minotaur by tossing him off the side of the bridge.

THAT is when I saw his Achilles curse in action.

He charged up so he was beside me.

Percy had always been a brilliant fighter, sort of like a whirlwind. But this was a whole other level.

None of the weapons seemed to cut through his skin. He ducked and dodged and struck and stabbed, and all around him monsters were evaporating at a random pace.

I felt a surge of adrenaline. I took up a fight with a Laistrygonian, sidestepping and cutting him clean in half.

Soon Percy and I were fighting back to back, our moves coordinated so well it would've looked like we rehearsed it. It was only a matter of time before only twenty of the hundreds of monsters remained.

"YES!" Michael Yew yelled as he and his campers approached behind us, pushing the army further back. "That's what I'm talking about!"

I smirked, kicking a dracaenae aside and stabbing her in the chest.

We had driven them back toward the Brooklyn side of the bridge. The sky was growing pale in the east.

"Percy! Lydia!" Annabeth yelled. "You've already routed them. Pull back! We're overextended!"

I wanted to listen, but Percy and I were on a roll.

I was considering ignoring Annabeth and continuing our pace.

The retreating monsters were running straight toward their reinforcements. It was a small group, maybe thirty or forty demigods in battle armor, mounted on skeletal horses. One of them held a purple banner with the black scythe design.

The lead horseman trotted forward. He took off his helm and I faltered. It was Kronos himself, his eyes like molten gold.

"Now, we pull back," Percy said, his eyes wide.

The Titan lord's men drew their swords and charged. The hooves of their skeletal horses thundered against the pavement. Our archers shot a volley, bringing down several of the enemy, but they just kept coming.

"Retreat!" I yelled to the others. "Percy and I will hold them!"

Michael and the archers tried to retreat, but Annabeth stayed right beside Percy, now fighting with her knife and mirrored shield as we slowly backed up the bridge.

Kronos's cavalry swirled around us, slashing and yelling insults. The Titan himself advanced leisurely, like he had all the time in the world— which, he obviously did, what with him being the lord of time.

I tried my best to wound and not kill the demigods that came onto me. That was only slowing me down, however.

"Oh, Lydia," Kronos said, his icy voice making the hairs on my arms stand up. "You're only conditioned to kill, aren't you? You're not used to holding back that murderous force, are you?"

He wasn't necessarily wrong. I was trained to annihilate on contact. Holding back a killing strike was definitely much more difficult.

Annabeth, Percy, and I formed a sort of awkward triangle, staying shoulder to shoulder as we fought off everyone that came toward us.

We were making progress, and were managing to push them back.

We'd almost made it to the middle of the bridge when something happened. Behind me, Annabeth cried out in pain.

Percy and I whipped around in time to see her fall, clutching her arm. A demigod with a bloody knife stood over her.

I locked eyes with the demigod. One eye stared back, the other with a patch over it.

I almost launched myself at him. But by the time I reacted as to who it was, Percy had slashed a wide arc with his sword, driving every other demigod away from Annabeth.

"Get back!" He yelled. "No one touches her!"

"Interesting," Kronos said.

He towered over us on his skeletal horse, his scythe in one hand.

"Bravely fought, Percy Jackson," he said. "But it's time to surrender... or the girl does."

"Percy, don't," Annabeth groaned, her shirt soaking in more blood every second.

"BLACKJACK!" Percy yelled.

As fast as light, the black pegasus swooped down and clamped his teeth on the straps of her armor. They soared away over the river before the enemy could even react.

I moved to stand at Percy's side, glaring up at my brother.

Kronos snarled. "Some day soon, I am going to make pegasus soup. But in the meantime..." he dismounted, his scythe glistening in the dawn light. "I'll settle for another dead demigod."

Percy met his first strike with his sword. The impact shook the entire bridge, but Percy held his ground. Kronos's smile wavered.

I heard a noise behind me, and whirled around to see a demigod had been about to stab me in the back of my neck.

I leapt back, my sword slashing furiously through the air. The demigod's head flew off, and the others around him jumped back. All except for Ethan.

"I can't believe you," I snarled, jumping forward to attack with my sword.

"I wasn't trying to hurt her!" He snapped, meeting my strike and stopping me from cutting into his helmet.

I pressed on him, drawing him back to behind Kronos, and back toward Brooklyn. Ethan was grunting and I could sense him struggling against me.

The bridge was shaking furiously. I was focusing so hard on maintaining my balance that I didn't hear Michael and Percy yelling for me to come back to their side.

There was a sudden lurch, and Ethan staggered. The entire bridge began to crumble. Ethan yanked me back to stop me from falling into the fifty foot chasm that was forming between Percy and Kronos.

I was quite unfortunately on the wrong side.

Ethan stood up, and very suddenly stepped between Kronos and I as the shaking died down.

Percy was staring at me with wide eyes. Michael was no longer at his side, and I realized with sickening horror that he must've fallen into the chasm and into the water below.

Kronos growled, and stared back at Percy. "Until this evening, Percy Jackson."

He turned. He noticed Ethan shielding me from him and his face twitched.

"Perhaps you are safe now, Lydia Castellan," he snarled. "Even I respect that this is a brief truce. Until this evening."

He walked behind his retreating army.

Ethan looked at me and I stepped away.

"You're welcome," he spat.

"Get the hell away from me," I hissed, stepping back and removing my armor.

Ethan removed his helmet, his one good eye glaring at me. He then stalked away.

I cursed loudly, and turned back to the other side.

Percy was still standing there. "Lydia! Will you be able to get back?"

"Yeah," I said. "Go without me. I need to look for Michael and anyone from our side that might've been left here. Please check on Annabeth!"

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes!"

He nodded and sprinted back the other way.

I looked over the edge, and stomped my foot furiously on the ground.

"Damn it, Michael," I hissed, looking over the edge. "Damn it...."

He might've been a little shit but I never would've wanted him to die.

I heard footsteps behind me.

"Ethan," I said, assuming it was him. "I don't—"

I felt a sharp pain and gasped, hearing the sound of blood trickling out into the pavement along with a cruel, mirthless laugh.

' _Be careful who you turn your back to_ ,' Athena had said.

I croaked and looked down, my vision blurring as my soul began to be reaped from my body.

The point of Kronos' scythe was sticking out of my abdomen.


	22. I Manage To Delay My Death Again

**Ethan Nakamura's POV**

_Summer 2009_

Not fucking fair.

She wasn't even looking.

The fight was already over.

And yet next thing I know he stabs her, and walks away.

I had noticed him going back but honest to the gods I didn't think he would hurt her.

Maybe threaten her.

But not stab her in the back.

I'd partly followed him, and stayed a bit aways.

What pained me is how she thought it'd been me.

"Ethan," she'd said, her arms crossed. "I don't—"

That's when Kronos had whipped out his scythe. I didn't have time to warn her. The lord of time had made sure of that. He knew I'd try to save her.

He sped his own time up so fast he'd stabbed her within milliseconds.

I heard a loud gasp, and saw her blood flow out of her wound, down her legs, and onto the pavement. The dripping sound it made was unnerving.

Kronos had laughed.

I watched as Lydia looked down. Her body swayed as the shock hit her. When it seemed she'd registered what'd happened, she crumpled to the floor.

Kronos kicked her body aside, nearly knocking her into the chasm below, and yanked the scythe out.

"Well I'll be needing a telkhine to clean this, won't I?" He said to me, a twisted smile on his lips. "It's tainted with traitorous blood."

His eyes fixated on something and he frowned.

"Nakamura!" He yelled. I looked down, suddenly aware of my hand trembling. I didn't realize I'd drawn my sword. Kronos had noticed.

He gazed at my sword and scoffed. "When she dies— which will be very soon, I want you to carry her body to somewhere where they will see her. I want them to be in agony for the time being. Wondering why she isn't back. And tonight when we attack again, they will march out and see their leader dead. That will certainly discourage them. Perhaps I cannot kill Jackson, but her death will wound the Camp much, much more."

He shot me a malicious grin and walked away, swinging his scythe in his hand in such a gleeful manner that it was sickening.

I was surprised he hadn't sped time up to kill her faster.

When he was out of earshot I sprinted to her, and turned her onto her back.

Her eyes were squeezed shut, and tears plastered her pale cheeks. She was whimpering in pain, and her mouth kept trembling. Her hands shook, and her body seized momentarily.

I'd never seen her in such pain.

I couldn't let her die.

I quickly kneeled down and whipped out some ambrosia and nectar and shoved it into her mouth, which made her choke, but I forced it in anyways.

"You don't get to die on me," I said, my voice shaky. "You don't. If you die I will never— NEVER forgive you for it."

She let out a sob, holding her stomach. She was shaking her head as she forced herself to swallow. She was shivering, and her skin was turning a strange light gray. Around her abdomen, her blood was turning black.

"Damn it!" I snarled, desperately pushing more ambrosia into her mouth.

She groaned, and weakly raised her arm to push me away.

"No!" I said. "Don't— don't do that."

"E-E-Ethan," she croaked as she struggled against me. "S-S-Stop.... I'm... g-going... t-to... b-burn... if.... you give... me.... m-m-more..."

"You need more!" I insisted, forcing her mouth open.

She allowed me to force more in, and then covered her mouth.

"P-Please— d-don't," she begged. "It... is... no... use...."

"Yes it is use!" I said firmly. "Maybe I'm not a hotshot future neurosurgeon like you but I know my s-s-shit..."

I had to force myself not to cry. I couldn't let her know I was losing hope.

She let out a shuddering sigh. Her shaky hand touched my arm, and she blinked away tears.

"T-T-Tell A-Annabeth—"

"No!" I hissed, removing an ointment from my belt. "You don't get to say goodbyes! You're not dying!"

She whimpered. She was shaking her head again, and she seemed to be trying to say something.

I poured some of the ointment on her wound, and she let out a soft scream, her hand flying to squeeze mine.

"I know it hurts— I know— but this will help you hold on. Lydia you have to."

She numbly waved her hand, as if imploring I'd just leave her to die.

"You're an idiot if you think I'm letting you die," I said, cradling her in my arms and picking her up. "Where are they staying?"

"I-I—don't k-know," she said softly, her head leaning against my chest. She winced and shut her eyes. "E-Ethan p-please—"

"I made a mistake leaving you," I said. "Please let me make it right."

She frowned and shook her head, draping her arm over my shoulder. It was a good sign considering the fragile state she was in.

"Any idea where they might've gone?" I asked. I was trying to stay calm as I asked her. I didn't want to let on that if we didn't find then fast, she'd die.

"N-No," she whispered. "I-I d-don't know..."

She groaned softly, her hand squeezing my shoulder. Her nails barely dug into my skin and it made my chest tighten.

That was all the strength she could even muster now and I was making her talk to me.

I moved one of my hands to rest behind her head, and began stroking her hair softly. She whimpered, leaning into my chest, slow tears rolling down her cheeks.

I had absolutely no idea where I was going. Silena had not mentioned anywhere they might be staying.

Then it clicked.

"Uh... you know Annabeth's number, right?"

Lydia scoffed softly, making an annoyed face despite the pain. "O-O-Obviously... but why... does it matter?" She shivered and my heart just about stopped.

I winced. "The spy mentioned how the plan if anything went wrong was to call Annabeth. I-I know I hurt her but someone will answer her phone, right?"

Lydia almost immediately looked away from me when I reminded her that I'd been the one to stab Annabeth with a poison knife.

"Y-Yeah," she breathed.

I wasted no time in searching a mortal's pockets. I extracted a phone. "Want to type it or—?"

"I-I n-need to t-type it," she said, reaching a shaky hand for the phone. "I-I'm feeling m-my fingers t-tingling. I-I need to k-keep u-using m-my hands..."

I didn't know why that would help, but I handed her the phone. She very slowly typed in the number, then gave me the phone.

"Oh— okay," I said, turning red. I hoped someone like Percy answered.

The line rang about three times before an slightly familiar voice answered.

"Hello?"

I couldn't recall exactly who it was.

"Er— hi. It's... Ethan."

"Oh," the voice said, sounding exasperated. But it seemed like they realized something. "How did you get this number?"

"From Lydia," I said. "Whoever you are, I NEED to know where you are all gathered. She's injured. Badly. I swear on the Styx I'm not coming to surprise attack you. I need you to have at least two Apollo kids ready to treat her. It's urgent."

I heard the person on the other line let out a shaky breath. "I-I think I should hand you off to Percy—"

"NO!" I snarled. "She is DYING! I need to know where you are, NOW!"

"L-Let me get Percy—"

"She has been stabbed with Kronos's fucking SCYTHE," I hissed. "If I don't find where you are fast, her soul will be torn out and she'll be worse than dead! She will never make Elysium!"

Lydia shivered again in my arms, her lips trembling. Her eyes were half open, but she didn't seem to be awake.

It was starting.

"O-Okay! Okay!" The voice cried. "The Plaza Hotel! If this is a trap and you've hurt my sister—"

I hung up. It had to be either Connor or Travis, and I couldn't waste time arguing.

I began to run, Lydia bouncing in my arms. I didn't know how to get there as quickly as possible. I couldn't ask her to hotwire me a car now, it'd kill her for sure. And I didn't know how to do it.

There was a rustling sound behind me.

I whirled around and yelled, staggering back as I saw a huge black Pegasus behind me.

It nickered, and nodded to Lydia.

She let out a soft giggle. "Blackjack..."

I looked up at the pegasus, who seemed to be nodding for me to get on its back.

I quickly lifted Lydia onto it and then myself, and used my own armor to tie her onto me as I held on to the pegasus's mane.

It took off at lightning speed, and I let out a yell as it bolted through the air.

It nickered several times, which made Lydia let out a series of giggles. I wonder if he was making her laugh.

"Mm," she moaned, suddenly furrowing her brows. Her hands began to shake furiously, and her whole body seized.

"Lydia!" I cried, turning her on her side like she'd taught me to do. "Lydia—"

The pegasus nickered loudly. I stared frantically at Lydia, who had not stopped seizing.

But then she did stop, and she groaned.

"Lydia!" I said, touching her face. "Can you hear me..."

She mumbled something incoherently.

"What was that?" I asked softly.

"Mom," she murmured. "Want... my mom..."

"Y-Your mom?" I asked. "But she—"

"M-Mom?" She asked, her head nodding around like she was looking for her. "No... no..."

She let out a sob, her hands shaking again. "No... please... no...."

The pegasus nickered again, making me look up.

We were seconds away from the Plaza Hotel.

The horse landed swiftly, and from the doors burst out Percy, and two Apollo kids I didn't recognize.

"Bring her here!" One of them called as they produced a stretcher.

I immediately leapt off the pegasus.

"She had a seizure a few minutes ago— lasted almost forty five seconds," I croaked. "And she started hallucinating... I think. She was talking about her mom."

Percy's eyes flickered to Lydia, and I saw pain as he looked at her.

The Apollo looked at each other as they placed her on the stretcher. "You got here just in time. She's almost gone."

They ran inside, and Percy nodded to the pegasus, who soared off.

"What happened?" He asked, bitterness laced in his voice.

"W-We'd retreated," I said. "I-I saw Kronos going back b-but I thought he m-might threaten her. I never thought he'd hurt her. He just... impaled her. And s-she just collapsed. H-He wanted me to leave her to die b-but I just couldn't."

Percy looked away, his fists balled up.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "For bringing her back."

"Listen I'm sorry—"

"She's fine," he muttered. "She'll be fine. I want to be mad at you for it but..."

"Look you can be mad. I-I know Annabeth's your girlfriend and Lydia's like the sister you never had. I-It's all my fault."

Percy waved dismissively and looked back up. His green eyes were stormy like a wild ocean. He looked distressed but also relieved.

"You made your choice," he murmured. "I'm just glad you didn't let Lydia die. I can't hate you for it."

"Percy if you want to be mad you should—"

"No," he said. "No. I don't want to be mad."

He said it with such sharpness I was intimidated. This guy was barely reaching my height and I was afraid of him.

I guess that's the effect of Percy Jackson.

One of the Apollo kids ran out. "Annabeth's awake."

Percy seemed to have color flood back into his face. He looked at me and nodded before going inside.

The Apollo camper looked at me timidly. "Do you want to wait for her?"

My chest swelled. "I-I'm allowed to?"

"Well Connor says you swore on the Styx... that's pretty serious."

"Yes! Yes— I swear it. I'm not going to hurt anyone I just... I need to see her. When she's awake."

He nodded. "You can wait in here."

He led me in, and the environment completely changed.

Injured demigods were all over the dining room and lobby. I was sickened to see how awful and beat up they looked. Being part of a monster army was so different. They were either in Tartarus or at full capacity.

Several shot me suspicious glances. I ignored them. Travis and Connor were at the front desk, and it seemed Percy had just finished telling them what happened, judging by how he'd left their presence.

I wasn't expecting them to walk up to me.

"Thank you," Travis said. "For saving our sister."

"Y-You're welcome," I stammered.

"You can wait with us," Connor said. "We want to see her too."

I nodded and they led me into what I assume was the waiting room, as many anxious demigods were tapping their feet and looking at the opposite door continuously.

I felt a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach.

This really was all my fault.

I didn't deserve the Stolls being so nice.

I didn't deserve Percy choosing to not be mad at me.

"Hey," Travis said to the population that looked at me strangely. "He just saved our sister's life. Leave him alone."

"You don't have to do that," I said quickly. "This is all my fault—"

"Hey, don't think that right now," Connor said. "We're on a truce. They can leave you alone for an hour."

I half smiled, wringing my hands together.

"You really hurt her when you left, though," Travis muttered, so quietly I hardly heard it.

"What?" I asked.

"I said you really hurt her when you left," he repeated. "I have never seen her cry, Ethan. And she cried. I don't think she knows I saw but I did see."

My chest tightened. "I know and I'm sorry—"

"Do you love her?"

Connor looked up at me expectantly.

"I-I do," I said. "But she doesn't think I do."

"Lydia doesn't understand love that well," Travis said. "She never had the impression her mother loved her. I don't think she ever understood that Luke loved her. She's always had to be so independent and fierce for everyone else's sake. She knows she cares a lot about us, her siblings. And you. But I don't think she knows how to love. Or at least she knows but doesn't know it's called love. It's a difficult thing to understand. For her, anyways."

"I-I never thought of it that way," I said.

Travis nodded knowingly. "I think she's confused why you call your feelings 'love.' She associates it so much with romance and since you only were just starting that, well, I guess if anything she didn't think you'd feel it so fast. She's gotten better over the years. Knows sibling love now, in a way. But I think she feels like saying 'I love you' is bland if she doesn't feel it. And since she doesn't exactly know what she feels well... she won't say it back."

"I see," I said, wringing my hands together. "That makes a lot more sense..."

Travis half smiled. He was about to say something else when the door flew open.

"Lydia's awake," Will Solace said, his face sweaty.

The Stolls and I sprang up, and ran to her room.

Lydia had been laid in one of the hotel rooms. She was wincing as one of the Apollo kids— I think his name was Austin— put bandages on her.

When she saw us, she half smiled.

"Hey," she said weakly.

Connor and Travis ran to her side.

"You are so stupid," Connor hissed, looking like he might cry.

"Dang, I just came here to have a good time—"

"Don't ever scare us like that again," Travis cut in. "We need our big sister. You're supposed to help me with college apps next year!"

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Is that all I'm good for?"

"No. But you can't die either way. You're not allowed."

I smiled as Connor and Travis hugged her. I wish I had siblings like that.

"Ouch," Lydia said after a few seconds. "That hurts."

"That's what she said—"

"Oh shut up," she replied, rolling her eyes. "Connor that SUCKED what happened to your talent?"

"Disappeared just like your life almost did," Connor replied smoothly, making Lydia's lip twitch.

It was unbelievable how they could so freely joke about her dying as if they weren't overwhelmed by the fact they'd almost lost her.

"Your chances of having a girlfriend disappeared a long time ago," Lydia said. "So I wouldn't be talking."

"Says the one who's never had a boyfriend."

Her eyes flickered to me.

"Oh come on Connor," Travis said playfully. "You can't say that in front of Austin."

Austin rolled his eyes and blushed. "You asked me if I would date her during truth or dare and I said I would under different circumstances! She's three years older than me!"

"Age doesn't matter," Connor piped up.

"Hey, I'm not a child predator," Lydia said.

"Oh right you only ATTRACT child predators. Like monsters."

I let out a snort.

"Monsters love me," Lydia said. "I smell so great."

"You don't even use perfume, what are you talking about?"

Lydia gasped in fake offense. "Well I'd rather use just deodorant than bucketloads of cologne like you do. Trying to impress a certain daughter of Demeter?"

Travis reddened. "Hey, you're treading on dangerous ground—"

"What are you gonna do, stab me for it?" Lydia joked. "Get in line."

I smirked and she looked at me, her blue eyes shining.

Connor turned to me and nudged Travis. "Hey how about we give the husband some time with his wife."

"Connor," Lydia said in a warning tone, her jaw slack.

"It's okay," I said quickly. "You guys take your time with her."

"Nah, dude, it's your turn," Travis said, winking.

I flushed red as they left, taking Will and Austin with them.

Lydia looked at me, and I swore I saw her blushing. "Thank you."

"I-It was n-nothing," I stammered. I seemed to have forgotten what words were.

She had that effect on me.

She patted a spot on her bed and motioned for me to sit.

"Lydia," I said when I'd taken a seat. "I really am sorry."

"It's not your fault, Ethan," she said quietly. I could tell she was trying to look grateful about what I'd done, but it was clear through the pain I could see in her eyes that she was still hurt I'd left to begin with.

"If I could change it," I said, "I would. I would never have left."

"What's done is done," she said, turning away slightly, like she didn't want to consider what might've happened if I'd stayed.

Kronos may not have taken Luke's body.

The Battle at Zeus's Fist would not have happened.

Several campers would still be alive.

Lydia trailed her hand to rest over mine. She winced.

"What?" I said. "What's wrong, what hurts?"

"Everything," she breathed, coughing slightly. "I er— might admit I acted stronger than I was with Connor and Travis. I-I don't want them to worry."

"Make sure you at least tell Will and Austin the truth," I suggested. "They are your doctors, after all."

She nodded, grimacing again. She shifted, and seemed to be trying to turn on her side.

I swiftly wrapped my hand around her waist and flipped her, making her blush again.

"Thanks," she said, squeezing my hand. She took a deep breath. "I—"

"I love you," I blurted out.

She faltered, and swallowed hard. "No... Ethan... you don't. We talked about this."

"Yes I do," I said, deciding I needed to make it all right. "I love you, Lydia Evelyn Castellan. I've loved you for a long time now. And I screwed up. I know I did. But I do, love you. When this is over... I swear on the River Styx I'll abandon Kronos and his army and I will come back to Camp with you."

Lydia's lip trembled. "Ethan—"

"I know it's not the easiest thing for you to understand, as brilliant as you are," I said. "But I do love you. I know I love you."

"Y-You care about me, it's different—"

"You know the difference between caring and loving?" I said. "Caring is just... genuinely worrying about someone's wellbeing. And being good to them. But love... Lydia, I think about you every damn day. Being with you makes me feel... a way I can't begin to describe. Listening to you talk makes me smile, even when it isn't about anything specific. I can't live without you. And I made a horrible mistake leaving you. I thought I was protecting you."

I drew a deep breath. "I swear on the River Styx... I will do my best to help you win this war. My loyalty to Kronos is no more. I will never leave again after this. And I will show you how love feels and I will be... someone you can trust. I'll ask you to be my girlfriend and one day my wife—"

"Ethan," she said, tears rolling down her cheeks. "You're thinking so ahead—"

"I just know what I want," he said. "I know I want you in my life. I want to be with you. Forever. I want to die at the age of a hundred in your arms, surrounded by our kids and our grandkids, and a few dogs and cats. I never want to live without you, Lydia. I love you. So much..."

She wiped her eyes, and shook her head. "Ethan i-it's going to b-be so difficult—"

"I'll make any sacrifices necessary to fix what I screwed up," I said, feeling myself on a roll. "I will make it right."

Lydia whimpered, and I crawled to lay down beside her, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her into my chest.

"Ethan," she whispered. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

"I will keep this promise," I said, rubbing her back gently. "Just think about it, okay?"

She nodded, and sniffled. "I-I uh... I need to sleep it off."

"Alright," I said, my chest tight as I got up. "I will see you. Please... be safe."

I leaned down and kissed her forehead. Her lips trembled, and I lifted her chin to press a firm kiss on her lips.

I was surprised she kissed back, and didn't pull away for a long, long time.

I wish to the gods I hadn't left. Not then, and not before.

I wish I'd known it would be the last time I'd ever kiss her.


	23. Annabeth Finally Realizes the Truth

**Lydia Castellan's POV**

_Summer 2009_

Ethan left. I knew he had to, to not draw suspicion from Kronos.

But I wish he hadn't.

I'd argued that I was fine and was ready to fight again. Will and Austin didn't clear me though, and we compromised that if I allowed them to put me to sleep for a few hours with special magic running through my veins, I'd be allowed to fight.

However, a dream immediately began. And it wasn't pleasant.

I was in a familiar place, standing next to Ethan. All around him was the huge titan army.

We were in the backwoods of New Jersey, on a crumbling road lined with run down businesses and tattered billboard signs. A trampled fence ringed a big yard full of cement statuary. The sign above the warehouse was hard to read because it was in red cursive, but I still remembered what it was supposed to say: AUNTY EM'S GARDEN GNOME EMPORIUM.

I hadn't thought about that place in years. It was clearly abandoned now. The statues were broken and spray-painted with graffiti. A cement satyr— Grovers uncle Ferdinand— had lost his arm. Part of the warehouse roof had caved in. A big yellow sign pasted on the door read: CONDEMNED.

Hundreds of tents and fires surrounded the property. Mostly I saw monsters, but there were some human mercenaries in combat fatigues and demigods in armor, too. A purple and black banner hung outside the Emporium, guarded by two huge blue Hyperboreans.

Beside me, Ethan was crouched at the nearest campfire. A couple of other demigods sat with him, sharpening their swords.

His gaze kept shifting around nervously, and I could see his hands wringing together.

I considered what he'd told me about helping us win.

He was afraid someone would suspect him.

The doors of the warehouse opened, and a titan I recognized to be Prometheus stepped out

"Lieutenant Nakamura," he called. "The masted would like to speak to you."

My heart leapt in my chest and I noticed Ethan paled. "Something wrong?"

Prometheus smiled. "You'll have to ask him."

One of the other demigods snickered. "Nice knowing you."

Ethan readjusted his sword belt and headed into the warehouse.

Except for the hole in the roof, the place was just as I remembered. Statues of terrified people still frozen in midscream. In the snack bar area, the picnic tables had been moved aside.

Right between the soda dispenser and pretzel warmer stood a golden throne. Kronos lounged on it, his now clean scythe across his lap. I couldn't help shivering when I saw it, and felt a pain over my scar.

He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and with his brooding expression he looked like a younger version of Luke— how I remembered him from years ago.

When Luke saw Ethan, his face contorted into a very inhuman smile. His golden eyes glowed.

"Well, Nakamura," he said. "Prometheus has just informed me his diplomatic mission with Jackson seems to have failed. What do you think of that?"

"Jackson is stubborn," Ethan said. "He won't surrender. Ever."

"Even when he knows he's just risking the lives of all his friends?"

Ethan nodded.

Luke raised an eyebrow. "You certainly look nervous, Ethan."

"I'm not nervous," Ethan said as firmly as he could muster. "It's just... I heard this was the lair of—"

"Medusa? Yes, quite true. Unfortunately she hasn't reformed since Jackson killed her, so you needn't worry about joining her collection."

Kronos's golden eyes bored into Ethan's face. "Now tell me... what happened last night on the Williamsburg Bridge?"

Ethan trembled slightly. "I... I don't know, my lord."

"Yes you do," Kronos said. "When you attacked Jackson, something happened. Something was not quite right. The girl, Annabeth, jumped in your way."

"She wanted to save him."

"But he is invulnerable," Kronos said quietly. "You saw that yourself."

"Perhaps she didn't know," Ethan said quickly. "Or if she did, she forgot."

"She forgot," Kronos repeated. "Yes, that must've been it. Oh dear, I forgot my friend is invulnerable and took a knife for him. Oops."

Ethan tensed. "My lord, I knew them. And Lydia. They all would take a knife for each other, regardless. It's like their natural instinct."

"Interesting you should bring up Lydia," Kronos said. "I will discuss her in a moment. Tell me, Ethan, where were you aiming when you stabbed at Jackson?"

Ethan frowned. He clasped his hand as if he were holding a blade, and mimed a thrust. "I'm not sure, my lord. It all happened so fast. I wasn't aiming for any spot in particular. Just a spot where his armor was not covering him, I suppose."

Kronos's fingers tapped the blade of his scythe. "I see. Well—"

Suddenly the Titan lord winced. Kronos stumbled backwards and sank into his throne.

"My lord?" Ethan started forward.

"I—" The voice was weak, but just for a moment it was Luke's. Then Kronos's expression hardened. He raised his hand and flexed his fingers slowly as if forcing them to obey.

"It is nothing," he said, his voice steely and cold again. "A minor discomfort."

Ethan moistened his lips. "He's still fighting you, isn't he? Luke—"

"Nonsense," Kronos spat. "Repeat that lie, and I will cut out your tongue. The boy's soul has been crushed. I am simply adjusting to the limits of this form. It requires rest. It is annoying, but no more than a temporary inconvenience."

"As you say my lord," Ethan said quickly.

Kronos stroked his chin, clearly eager to change the subject. "Now let us discuss Lydia Castellan. Is she dead?"

Ethan shook his head. I was afraid he might not be able to explain properly, but it seemed he had a lie prepared.

"I carried her to the other side of the bridge," he said. "The Beauregard girl told me they were at the Plaza Hotel. I left her nearby— near enough so they'd see. But I wasn't anticipating that some of the medics were still out and about. I turned into an alley and heard voices. They found her and rushed her to the hotel. As far as I know, she's still alive."

Kronos didn't seem fully convinced. "How did she survive the walk to the Plaza Hotel? You definitely didn't run, did you?"

Ethan seemed to have this answer prepared too. "She used her powers, my lord. Partially healed herself. That's when she went unconscious. I was certain she had screwed herself over by using her power. Unfortunately she may have kept herself alive long enough for them to treat her."

This he seemed to believe more. "Needless to say I am disappointed. I regret not staying there to watch her die myself. I didn't think the girl would be stupid enough to try to heal herself. She knew the risks."

"I didn't expect it either, lord. I am sorry."

Kronos seemed to have bought it. "Thank you, Lieutenant, that will be all." He turned to a dracaenae by the door. "Queen Sess, is it?"

"Yesssss, my lord."

"Is our little surprise ready to be unleashed?"

The dracaenae queen bared her fangs. "Oh yesssssss, my lord. Quite a lovely sssssssurprisssssse."

"Excellent," Kronos said. "Tell my brother Hyperion to move our main force south into Central Park. The half bloods will be in such disarray they will not be able to defend themselves. Go now, Ethan. We will talk again when we have taken Manhattan."

Ethan bowed and my dream dissolved, and I shot awake.

"Will!" I yelled.

Will ran in from the other room. "Yeah?"

"I just had this dream!" I said, forcing myself to sit up. I immediately felt queasy and regretted it. "Ouch— fuck— Kronos is launching a surprise! And Hyperion is leading an army!"

"I know," he said. "Percy had the same dream. They left about an hour ago."

"What?" I shrieked. "But I JUST dreamt it."

"Er... not according to my observation," he said. "I've been monitoring you and you were in REM sleep around the same time as Percy dreamt this. You just feel you woke up right after. That's the effect of the magic and the sleeping trance we do. They'll meet the army there."

I groaned and slumped back. Will came forward to change my dressings. "Good progress. You're healing very nicely."

"Why did I feel dizzy just now, then?"

"That's an effect of the trance not the injury," he said. "I think you'll be good in a few more hours."

"No!" I whined. "I have to fight now! They need me!"

"Trust me they're more than prepared," he said. "I cleared Annabeth and everyone else. They had minor injuries."

"Damn it!" I hissed. "So I'm the ONLY ONE confined here?"

"You got impaled with Kronos's scythe. The worst injuries they had were burns, broken bones, and poison. No deaths other than my brother... Michael."

He frowned and I bit my lip. "I'm sorry, Will."

"It's okay," he said quickly. "Just please... don't argue with me, okay?"

"Fine," I sighed. "Are you going to put me to sleep again now?"

"Yep," he said. "Another three hours. They should all be back by the time you wake and you'll get to see how it all went."

"Okay," I said, squirming. "I'm ready."

Will nodded and put a needle into my arm.

Almost immediately I began another dream, which seemed to be taking place about three hours after my past dream, meaning whatever Will had mentioned regarding a battle was past.

I was standing outside the United Nations, about a mile north east of the Empire State building. The Titan army had set up camp all around the UN complex. The flag poles were hung with horrible trophies— helmet and armor pieces from defeated campers. There seemed to have actually been deaths this time around.

All along First Avenue, giants sharpened their axes. Telkhines repaired armor at makeshift forges.

Kronos was swinging his scythe as he stood on top of the plaza. Ethan and Prometheus were beside him.

"I hate this place," Kronos growled. "United Nations. As if mankind could ever unite. Remind me to tear down this building after we destroy Olympus."

He swung his scythe and cut a flagpole in half. The national colors of Brazil toppled into the army, squashing a dracaena.

"We will destroy them!" Kronos roared. "Jackson may have defeated the sow, but this monster he cannot defeat. It is time to unleash the drakon. Nakamura, you will do this."

"Yes lord," he said. "At sunset?"

"No," Kronos said. "Immediately. The defenders of Olympus are badly wounded. It seems Lydia Castellan is still out of commission, as she was not in the last battle. They will not expect a quick attack. We know this drakon they cannot beat."

Ethan nodded slowly. "Yes, my lord."

"I want Olympus in ruins by the time Typhon reaches New York," Kronos hissed. "We will break the gods utterly!"

"But my lord, your regeneration...."

Kronos pointed at Ethan, and he froze. "Does it seem I need to regenerate?"

Ethan didn't respond. Kind of hard to do when you're immobilized in time.

Kronos snapped his fingers and Ethan collapsed.

"Soon," he growled, "this form will be unnecessary. I will not rest with victory so close. Now go!"

Ethan scrambled away.

My dream immediately shifted to follow him.

He ran to a secluded area, and when he was certain he was alone, he took out a scythe pendant— the one being used to communicate with the spy. He pressed it, and almost immediately a strangely familiar voice appeared.

"Yes?" The female on the other end said, projected in just a five foot radius around Ethan and I.

"Well? Did you decide?" He asked frantically.

The girl sighed. "Yes. I have. I know what I must do. And it might get me killed but... I have to make things right. Thank you for sticking by me."

"You're welcome," he said. "We both lost the people we loved getting involved in this. This we can do to make it better."

I was confused. Who was he talking to?

"How's Lydia?" Ethan asked.

"Much more stable," the girl said. "Will says he can wake her very soon and she'll be all good."

"Good. Because I need to release the drakon. Now."

"It'll be okay," the girl said confidently. "Lydia will be in excellent shape. And drakons have ALWAYS been her strong suit."

"Kronos doesn't know that," Ethan said, looking grateful. "Since it is stated only children of Ares can defeat them, he is certain the Camp will fail. Little does he know there's no rule that other very capable campers can't injure it long enough for help to arrive."

"Oh I hope so!" The girl said in a worried tone. "Hopefully Lydia and Percy will wear it down and keep it occupied long enough for me to get Ares here. Then killing it will be a breeze."

"Thank you for doing this," Ethan said. "Good luck. And when this is over... we'll all be okay. Yes?"

"Alright. Good luck to you too."

He pressed the scythe and tucked it into his pocket.

Seconds later, the voice of Prometheus rang out. "PREPARE FOR BATTLE!"

Ethan bolted away. My dream slowly began to fade, and I tried to wake myself up, not wanting to miss this.

Just as my eyes opened, I heard a loud, angry roar— indicating that Ethan had woken the drakon.

I shot fully awake, and Will flinched beside me.

"Another dream," I said, leaping out of bed. Surprisingly, I was not dizzy. "Quick— I need my armor."

Will ran out of the room, and I removed my shirt and bandages and changed into a fresh top. He brought me my armor and strapped it onto me, then handed me Slasher.

"Now please don't get yourself almost killed again," he implored. "I worked REALLY hard to keep you alive."

"Alright," I said. "Thank you!"

I bolted out and saw everyone gathered in the lobby, including Rachel.

"Uh... hi," I said, blushing a bit as she smiled at me.

"Hey," she said. "You and Percy have the same dream?"

Percy looked at me and nodded. "Yep."

"Did you see Ethan talking to the spy?" I asked quickly.

"What?" Percy said. "Er that must've just been in your dream. Is it bad?"

"No. It's good," I said. "We'll talk about it later, okay? What's up, Rachel?"

"Just some things I saw in my head," she piped up.

Beside her, Chiron nodded. "A Lydian drakon, to be exact. The oldest and most dangerous kind."

"Hey!" Connor said loudly. "Lydia, weren't you named after that? You know since you're old and dangerous and have been kicking drakon butt since you crawled out of the womb?"

"Oh shut up," I said, although I laughed.

At least Ethan and the spy were right about one thing. Drakons were my specialty.

"This drakon has a particular fate," Rachel said. "It will be killed by a child of Ares, as it must be."

"Well we're short on children of Ares," I murmured, biting my lip as I remembered what the spy and Ethan had discussed regarding her getting the Ares cabin to help us. "The spy told Kronos we're low on them."

"Blackjack is on his way. Silena left to try and convince Clarisse to help," Chiron said. "But if she couldn't, then I doubt Blackjack will be able—"

A roar shook the ground. It sounded very close.

With a sickening feeling I pieced it all together.

Silena was the spy.

Of course I wasn't about to announce it, considering she and Ethan had both turned on Kronos and were now helping us.

A shadow blotted out the sun as we stepped outside.

"Rachel get back inside," Percy said.

"I want to stay," she whined.

From across the street, a drakon slithered down the side of a skyscraper. It roared, and a thousand windows shattered.

"On second thought," she said in a small voice, "I'll be inside."

I nodded and strapped my helmet on, following Percy to the frontlines.

"You good now?" He asked, putting his own helmet on.

"Yes," I said. I cleared my throat. "WE'LL TAKE THE DRAKON! Everyone else, hold the line against the army."

Annabeth stood between Percy and I. She had pulled her owl helmet low over her face, but I could see her eyes were red.

I don't know how I sensed it had something to do with Rachel.

"Hey," I said. "Glad you're okay."

"Same to you," she mumbled.

Percy looked at her. "Will you help us?"

"That's what I do," she said miserably. "I help my friends."

I winced.

"Go invisible," Percy said. "Look for weak links in its armor while Lydia and I keep it busy. Just be careful."

She nodded and put her Yankees cap over the helmet.

Percy whistled. "Mrs. O'Leary, heel!"

"ROOF!" She leaped over a line of centaurs and gave Percy and I a kiss that smelled suspiciously of pepperoni pizza.

"What have you been doing, silly girl?" I said just as Percy and I charged at the monster.

The drakon was three stories above us, slithering sideways along the building as it sized up our forces. Where ever it looked, centaurs froze in fear.

From the north, the enemy army crashed into the Party Ponies, and our lines broke. The drakon lashed out, swallowing three Californian centaurs in one gulp before Percy and I could even get close.

"This is the perfect time to say 'fuck,'" I hissed to Percy. Mrs O'Leary yapped, and I understood she said ' _My turn_!'

Next thing I knew, Mrs. O'Leary launched herself through the air— a deadly black shadow with teeth and claws. Normally, a pouncing hellhound is a terrifying sight, but next to the drakon, Mrs. O'Leary looked like a child's night-night doll.

Her claws raked harmlessly off the drakon's scales. I slowly inched forward as she bit the monster's throat, although she couldn't make a dent.

Her weight, however, was enough to knock the drakon off the side of the building. It flailed awkwardly and crashed to the sidewalk, hellhound and serpent twisting and thrashing. I took the opportunity to sprint forward, Percy at my side.

The drakon tried to bite Mrs. O'Leary, but she was too close to the serpent's mouth. Poison spewed everywhere, melting centaurs into dust along with quite a few monsters, but Mrs. O'Leary weaved around the serpent's head, scratching and biting.

I ducked to avoid being splattered with poison, and used some of my extra Hermes kid strength to jump directly onto the drakon's head, and stabbed it in one eye. Percy got the memo and wove around to stab the other eye. The drakon roared and reared back to strike, but Percy and I were fast, and ducked away.

The serpent roared, and trying desperately to sniff where we were. It seemed it could still sense where we were, because it lunged right toward us.

I sidestepped and ducked under, slicing up into its neck as Mrs. O'Leary leapt onto its head and scratched and growled like a really angry black wig.

The drakon however, was not too hurt by the cut I made on its neck. It swatted me away, and I stumbled and fell against the pavement. I sprang up immediately just in time to see Annabeth materialize on the drakon's back. Her Invisibility cap rolled off her helmet as she drove her bronze knife between a chink in the serpent's scales, which I could tell hit a major artery or some sort of blood line.

The drakon roared and coiled around, knocking Annabeth off its back. Percy ran forward to catch her, and I extracted a throwing knife, and threw it at blinding speed to lodge it inside the drakon's mouth so it would pursue me again, giving Percy and Annabeth enough time to scramble out of the way.

It snarled and charged to me. Mrs. O'Leary clawed at its back as I charged, dodging the poison wads it spit out, attempting to throw a knife down its throat and let it choke to death.

All around us, our army was being overwhelmed by the enemy. We were out of options.

There was a rumbling in the south. I recognized it immediately: chariot wheels.

"ARES!"

A dozen war chariots charged into battle. Each flew a red banner with the symbol of the wild boar's head. Each was pulled by a team of skeletal horses with manes of fire. A total of thirty fresh warriors, armor gleaming and eyes full of hate, lowered their lances as the one— making a bristling wall of death.

"Yes!" I screamed, seeing Clarisse herself in the lead, her face covered by a boar's head helm, her electric spear crackling in her hand. Silena must have convinced her!

Half the chariots charged the monster army, and the other half advanced around me to stroke at the drakon.

The serpent reared back and managed to throw off Mrs. O'Leary. My poor pet hit the side of the building with the yelp. Percy ran to help her, but the serpent had already zeroed in on the new threat. Even with no eyes it could sense that there were chariots all around it. The monster bared its fangs to strike and got a mouthfull of celestial bronze javelins.

Honestly, I wish everyone had the same ability as me— to understand a great deal many languages.

The drakon had screeched, and to anyone it'd sound like "EEEEESSSSS!"

But I knew the drakon had actually screamed " _MOTHERFUCKER_!"

"Ares, to me!" Clarisse screamed. Her voice was strangely shrill.

Across the street, the arrival of six chariots gave the Party Ponies new hope. They rallied at the doors of the Empire State Building, and the enemy army was momentarily thrown into confusion.

Meanwhile, Clarisse's chariots circled the drakon. Lances broke against the monster's skin. Skeletal horses breathed fire and whinnied. Two more chariots overturned, but the warriors simply leapt to their feet, drew their swords, and went to work. They hacked at chinks in the creature's scales. They dodged poison spray like they'd been training for this all their lives, which of course they had.

Clarisse was right in front, stabbing at the drakon's head. But as I watched, things started to go wrong. The drakon snapped up one Ares camper in a gulp. It knocked aside another and sprayed poison on a third, who retreated in a panic, his armor melting.

I charged forward and dove under the chariot, desperately trying to draw the drakon's attention away from Clarisse. I picked up a javelin from the ground and threw it with all my might. It lodged into the monster's forehead, which gave Clarisse an advantage.

"You can do it!" I screamed to her. "A child of Ares is destined to kill it!"

She looked down at me and I faltered. For one, she looked scared. Secondly, she had blue eyes.

Too late I realized that it was Silena, and not Clarisse, that was dressed in that armor.

The drakon looked at her and spit poison directly in her face.

She screamed and fell. All around her campers ran to her.

Percy and I nodded to each other and charged forward again just as another chariot pulled up, containing my brother Chris and the real Clarisse.

"NO!" Clarisse yelled as she approached Silena. "Curse you, WHY?" She dropped to her knees and held Silena in her arms.

She then looked up, her face filled with absolute hate. I'd seen a look that intense only once before. Her father, Ares, had worn the same expression when he fought Percy on the beach all those years ago.

"YOU WANT DEATH?" She yelled at the drakon. "WELL, COME ON!"

She grabbed her spear, and with no armor or shield, she charged the drakon.

Percy and I tried to close the distance to help, but Clarisse was faster. She leapt aside as the monster struck, pulverizing the ground in front of her. Then she jumped onto the creature's head. As it reared up, she drove her electric spear into the wound I'd made on its forehead. She did it with so much force it shattered the shaft, releasing all the magic weapon's power.

Electricity arced across the creature's head, causing its whole body to shudder. Clarisse jumped free, rolling safely to the sidewalk as smoke boiled from the drakon's mouth. Its flesh dissolved, and it collapsed into a hollow scaly tunnel of armor.

The rest of us stared at Clarisse in awe. But Clarisse didn't seem to care. She ran to where Silena lay. Annabeth had just managed to remove her helmet, and the Ares campers, Chris, Clarisse, Percy, Annabeth, and I gathered around. The battle still raged along Fifth Avenue, but for that moment nothing existed except our small circle and the fallen girl.

"Silena," I gasped, kneeling down, and reaching out my hands.

"No.... Lydia," she croaked, staring at me with big eyes. "Don't..... save it.... please."

I winced, and Clarisse took her head in her lap. "What do were you thinking?"

Silena tried to swallow, but her lips were dry and cracked. "Wouldn't listen. Cabin... would only follow... you."

"So you stole my armor," Clarisse said in disbelief. "You waited until Chris and I went out on patrol; you stole my armor and pretended to be me." She glared at her siblings. "And NONE of you noticed?"

Her siblings developed a sudden interest in their combat boots.

"Don't blame them," Silena said. "They wanted to... believe I was you."

"You stupid Aphrodite girl," Clarisse sobbed. "You charged a drakon? Why?"

"All my fault," Silena said, a tear streaking the side of her face. "The drakon... Charlie's death..." she gulped before extracting the familiar scythe pendant. My chest tightened.

"You were the spy," I breathed.

She nodded and blinked. "Before I liked Charlie, Luke was nice to me. He was so... charming. Handsome. Later, I wanted to stop helping him... but he threatened to tell... he promised... he promised I was saving lives. Fewer people would get hurt. He told me he wouldn't hurt... Charlie. He lied to me."

Annabeth looked like somebody had just yanked the world out from under her feet.

It seemed she finally understood what I'd been trying to tell her about Luke.

Behind us, the battle raged.

Clarisse scowled at her siblings. "Go, help the centaurs. Protect the doors. GO!"

They scrambled away.

Silena looked at me and smiled. "Oh... Ethan... he really loves you. He convinced me... we needed... to leave Kronos... we couldn't keep helping him... and we made... a plan."

"I saw," I whispered. "In my dream. You knew Percy and I would be able to keep the drakon at bay while you came back with the Ares kids."

She nodded and took a heavy, painful breath. "Forgive me."

"We forgive you," I said, squeezing her hand.

Clarisse stared at me incredulously.

"You're not dying," she insisted. She didn't seem to like that I was letting Silena say her goodbyes.

"Charlie...." Silena's eyes were a million miles away. "See Charlie...."

She didn't speak again.


	24. Sally and Paul Blofis Are Badasses

Once we finished off the remaining monsters and got Clarisse to calm down and stop dragging the drakon carcass on her chariot while she rode through the city, we all went into the Empire State Building.

"My Hunters will help you stand guard," Thalia said. "Lydia, Annabeth, and Percy— you should go to Olympus. I have a feeling they'll need you up there— to set up the final defense."

The doorman had disappeared from the lobby. His book was facedown on the desk and his chair was empty. The rest of the lobby, however, was jam packed with wounded campers, Hunters, and satyrs.

The Stolls met us by the elevators.

"Is it true?" Connor asked. "About Silena?"

I nodded grimly. "She died a hero. She'll see Beckendorf for sure, in Elysium."

Travis shifted uncomfortably. "Um... I also heard—"

"You heard nothing," I said flatly. "She died a hero. That is all. End of story."

"Right," he mumbled. "Listen, we figure the Titan's army will have trouble getting up the elevator. They'll have to go up a few at a time. And the giants won't be able to fit at all."

"That's our biggest advantage," Percy said. "Any way to disable the elevator?"

I looked at it and concentrated, until I could see the structure within, and every bolt and gear holding it together. It had a glowing aura about it.

"No," I said. "It's magic. We couldn't disable it."

"Usually you need a key card, but the doorman vanished," Travis said. "That means the defenses are crumbling. Anyone can walk into the elevator now and head straight up."

"Then we have to keep them away from the doors," Percy said. "We'll bottle them up in the lobby."

"We need reinforcements," Travis said. "Otherwise they'll just keep coming and eventually overwhelm us."

"There are no reinforcements," I sighed.

"Maybe that's not true," Percy said, furrowing his eyebrows. He went over to Mrs O'Leary, who was breathing against the glass doors and smearing them with hellhound drool. Chiron had bandaged her paw, but she was still limping. Her fur was matted with mud, leaves, pizza slices, and dried monster blood.

"I love her," I sighed as Percy whispered something in her ear.

She shadow traveled away seconds later, and Percy then rejoined us in the lobby.

As we neared the elevator, we spotted Grover kneeling over a fat wounded satyr.

"Leneus!" Percy said.

The old satyr looked terrible. His lips were blue. There was a broken spear in his belly, and his furry goat legs were twisted at a painful angle.

He tried to focus on us, but I don't think he saw us.

"Grover?" He murmured.

"I'm here, Leneus." Grover was blinking back tears, despite all the horrible things Leneus had said about him.

"Did.... did we win?"

"Uh... yes," Grover lied. "Thanks to you, Leneus. We drove the enemy away."

"Told you," the old satyr mumbled. "True leader. True..."

He closed his eyes for the last time.

Grover gulped. He put his hand on Leneus's forehead, and spoke an ancient blessing. The old satyr's body melted until all that was left was a tiny sapling in a pile of fresh soil.

"A laurel," Grover said in awe. "Oh that lucky old goat."

He gathered the sapling in his hands. "I... I should plant him. In Olympus. In the gardens."

"We're going that way," Percy said. "Come on."

Easy- listening music played as the elevator rose.

I couldn't stop thinking about the first time I visited Mount Olympus. I'd been nine, and Annabeth eight. Luke had been mildly annoyed at how giggly and excited we'd been.

As I looked around at Percy, Annabeth, and Grover, I had a strange feeling it would be our last adventure all together.

"Lydia," Annabeth said softly. "Percy."

We both looked up in shock. It was the first time she'd spoken since Silena Beauregard's death. She kept her eyes fixed on the elevator floors as they blinked into the magical numbers: 400, 450, 500.

"You two were right about Luke."

Percy, Grover, and I exchanged glances.

"Annabeth," Percy said. "I'm sorry—"

"You both tried to tell me," she said, her voice shaky. "Luke is no good. I thought... you were just bitter. I didn't believe you until... until I heard how he'd used Silena. Now I know. I hope you're happy."

"That doesn't make me happy," I said, hurt she'd think that of me.

She put her head against the elevator wall and wouldn't look at us.

Grover cradled his laurel sapling in his hands. "Well... sure good to be together again. Arguing. Almost dying. Abject terror. Oh, look. It's our floor."

The doors dinged and we stepped onto the aerial walkway.

Depressing is not a word that usually describes Mount Olympus, but it looked that way now. No fires lit the braziers. The windows were dark. The streets were deserted and the doors were barred. The only movement was in the parks, which had been set up as field hospitals. Will Solace and the other Apollo campers scrambled around, caring for the wounded. Naiads and dryads tried to help, using nature magic songs to heal burns and poisons.

As Grover planted the laurel sapling, Annabeth, Percy, and I went around trying to cheer up the wounded.

We passed a satyr with a broken leg, a demigod that was bandaged head to toe, and a body covered in a golden burial shroud of Apollo's cabin. I didn't want to know who it was.

"I should go help," I murmured, tying my hair up.

Annabeth and Percy nodded to me.

I stepped aside and went to several of the injured campers, suturing wounds and making casts and splints for those who needed them. I tried my best to make positive conversation and tell them they'd be just fine. I said if I'd managed to not die after being impaled by Kronos's scythe, they'd recover in no time.

It sort of helped most of them.

The more severe injuries I tried to treat the best I could with ambrosia and other tools before using my powers on them. I felt bad for thinking it, but I didn't want to tire myself out with magically healing them.

"Thanks, Lydia," Will sighed, coming over and wiping his forehead. "Luckily none of these are all too bad. But I will need your help with Pollux over there. He needs some skin peeled off and your hands are most precise."

"Alright," I said, heading over to where Pollux was propped up against a tree. His arm was broken and burned, but otherwise, he was fine.

"Hi, Pollux," I said, putting on some gloves and sitting next to him, placing his arm on a cushion over my lap.

"Hey, Lydia," he replied, watching me take out a scalpel and very carefully begin to remove the burned skin off his arm.

"I can still fight with the other hand," he said through gritted teeth, trying hard not to yell out in pain.

"No," I said, pressing the blade as precisely as I could across each layer of his skin. "You've done enough. As superficial as this burn is, you need rest. I'd much rather you stay here and help with the wounded."

He groaned. "But—"

"Please," I heard Percy say behind me, looking down at us. "Promise us you'll stay safe, okay? Personal favor."

Pollux gave Percy a weird look as he walked away.

"Personal favor?" He asked.

"Percy's stressed," I said nonchalantly. "You have a soothing nature. He needs someone he can trust to do that."

Pollux sighed. Percy had confided in me that Dionysus had asked him to make sure Pollux was safe.

"Fine," he promised. He looked relieved.

I smiled, and finished removing the burned skin. "Now— this is going to hurt quite a bit so I'd like for you to tell me something you haven't told me yet or just something interesting. It'll keep you distracted."

I poured an ointment and he hissed, biting his lip.

"Okay," he panted. "U-Uh I um... I'm going to UPenn this fall."

I looked up, my eyes wide. "Pollux that's great! I know it was a hard decision to make."

"Yeah," he said, still wincing. "My mom didn't want me going so far... especially after what happened to Castor. But I needed... to be away from Camp. For awhile, anyway."

"I understand," I said, now bandaging him up. "I'm proud of you, you know that, right?"

He smiled. "Thanks."

He was silent for a second.

"So how does it feel?" He asked. "Going to be a senior in high school and a year later be a senior at Stanford, no questions asked?"

I smiled, and began massaging his arm, trying to get proper blood flow so he'd heal faster. "It feels nice. A relief. I'll graduate Med School at nineteen and get to jump straight into my residency."

"I can't believe you got away with doing illegal online Med School."

"One of my more admirable traits as a child of Hermes," I said smugly. "You hardly ever get caught doing something illegal."

"Hardly ever? Name one time you got caught."

"Oh I've never been caught," I said with my signature mischievous grin. "Other Hermes kids do. Like little Vince. I always catch him right before he succeeds."

"He's eleven, what do you expect?"

I shrugged and patted his arm. "You should be all good."

"Might I say you have excellent bedside manner?" He asked. "Screw being a surgeon, you should be a nurse."

"I can have good bedside manner as a surgeon," I said. "As unrealistic as Grey's Anatomy is sometimes, I'm pretty sure I can be just like them and be nice to patients while also kicking ass in an OR."

"More power to you," he said, pumping his healthy arm in the air. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too," I said. "But no goodbyes right now. You don't have to leave for a few weeks."

He smirked and shook his head. "Alright."

I waved at him, and got up, heading to where Will was stitching up Katie Gardner's head. It was no surprise that Travis was at her side, cracking jokes.

"How you feeling, Katie?" I asked.

"Eh, so so," she said.

Will waved for me to come over. "Can you finish the sutures and do a neuro exam? Thanks."

He darted off without another word.

I hummed and sat down, picking up where he left off, only vaguely aware that Travis and Katie were no longer talking.

"You guys can talk," I said. "I won't listen in."

"It's not that," Katie said, her face reddening. "Look. I'm sorry for accusing you of being the spy. That was unfair to you."

I shrugged, now having finished the sutures and having her follow my finger with her eyes. "It's fine. Don't ever accuse me again, though. I assure you I won't be so nice."

With that I patted her head and went over to Annabeth and Grover, who were walking to the throne room.

I jogged to catch up to them, and as we walked up, we saw Hestia, Rachel, and Percy gathered by the hearth.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked. "Should we... leave again?"

Percy looked at Rachel. "You're not going to do anything stupid, are you? I mean... you talked to Chiron, right?"

Rachel managed a faint smile. "You're worried about ME doing something stupid?"

"But I mean... will you be okay?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "That kind of depends on whether you save the world, hero."

Percy picked up a jar. From what he'd told me, it was Pandora's jar, with the spirit of Hope fluttering inside.

"Hestia," he said. "I give this to you as an offering."

The goddess tilted her head. "I am the least of the gods. Why would you trust me with this?"

"You're the last Olympian," he said. "And the most important."

"And why is that, Percy Jackson?"

"Because Hope survives best at the hearth. Guard it for me and I won't be tempted to give up again."

Hestia smiled. She took the jar in her hands and it began to glow. The hearth fire burned a little brighter.

"Well done, Percy Jackson," she said. "May the gods bless you."

"We're about to find out," Percy said, looking at us. "Come on, guys."

We followed him as he marched to Poseidon's throne.

"Help me up," he said, trying to sit on the black leather chair designed for a god in his twenty foot form.

"Are you crazy?" Annabeth asked in disbelief.

"Probably," he admitted.

"Percy," Grover said. "The gods REALLY don't appreciate people sitting in their thrones."

"Yeah," I said, wincing. "And we mean turn you into a pile of ashes don't appreciate it."

"I need to get his attention," Percy insisted. "It's the only way."

Annabeth, Grover, and I exchanged uneasy looks.

"Well," Annabeth said, "this'll get his attention."

Grover and I hoisted Percy up.

He closed his eyes, and we saw nothing, but from Percy's facial expressions, he was having a conversation.

"Woah," I said. "What the fuck is happening to him?"

Percy's skin was turning pale, and it seemed he was on fire.

He then suddenly slipped down from the throne. "What?" He said, noticing we were staring strangely.

Grover studied him nervously. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well dude," I said, "you got all pale and started smoking."

"I did not!" He said. He looked down at his arms. Steam curled off of his shirtsleeves, and his hair was singed.

"Told you," I chirped.

"If you'd sat there any longer," Annabeth said, "you would've spontaneously combusted. I hope the conversation was worth it?"

From the sphere of water, Bessie mooed.

"We'll find out soon," he said.

Just then the doors of the throne room swung open. Thalia marched in, her bow snapped in half, and her quiver empty.

"You've got to get down here," she said. "The enemy is advancing. And Kronos is leading them."

_________

By the time we got to the street, it was too late.

Campers and Hunters lay wounded on the ground. Clarisse must've lost a fight with a Hyperborean giant, because she and her chariot were frozen in a block of ice. The centaurs were nowhere to be seen. Either they'd panicked and ran or they'd been disintegrated.

The Titan army ringed the building, standing maybe twenty feet from the doors. Kronos's vanguard was in the lead: Ethan, the dracaena Queen Sess in her green armor, and two Hyperboreans.

Ethan looked at me, his face pale. I could see he mouthed my name. His one eye was shining with what looked like tears though, and his lips curled into a small, but very genuine smile.

Despite what Silena had told him, he hadn't yet seen for himself that I was alive.

Kronos himself stood right in the front with his scythe in his hand. The only thing standing in his way was....

"Chiron," Annabeth said, her voice trembling.

If Chiron heard us, he didn't answer. He had an arrow notched, aimed straight at Kronos's face.

As soon as Kronos saw Percy and I, his gold eyes flared. Then the Titan lord turned his attention back to Chiron. "Step aside, little son."

Hearing my brother call Chiron his son was weird enough, but Kronos put so much contempt into his voice— as if 'son' was the worst word he could think of.

It partly surprised me, as I knew Luke knew a great deal many curse words, having taught me most of them himself.

"I'm afraid not." Chiron's tone was steely calm, the way he gets when he's really angry.

I tried to move, but my feet felt like concrete. Annabeth, Percy, Grover, and Thalia were straining too, like they were just as stuck.

"Chiron!" Annabeth said. "Look out!"

The dracaena queen became impatient and charged. Chiron's arrow flew straight between her eyes and she vaporized on the spot, her empty armor clattering to the asphalt.

He reached for another arrow, but his quiver was empty. He dropped his bow and drew his sword. I knew he hated fighting with a sword. It was never his favorite weapon.

Kronos chuckled. He advanced a step, and Chiron's horse half skittered nervously. His tail flicked back and forth.

"You're a teacher," Kronos sneered. "Not a hero."

"Luke was a hero," Chiron said. "He was a good one, until you corrupted him."

My chest tightened.

"FOOL!" Kronos's voice shook the city. "You filled his head with empty promises. You said the gods cared about me!"

I noticed it as soon as he said it.

"Me," Chiron noted. "You said 'me.'"

Kronos looked confused, and in that moment, Chiron struck. It was a good maneuver— a feint followed by a strike to the face. I couldn't have done better myself, but Kronos was quick. He had all of Luke's fighting skills, which was a lot. He knocked aside Chiron's blade and yelled "BACK!"

A blinding white light exploded between the Titan and the centaur. Chiron flew into the side of the building with such force the wall crumbled and collapsed on top of him.

"NO!" Annabeth wailed. The freezing spell broke. We ran toward our teacher, but there was no sign of him. Thalia and I pulled helplessly at the bricks while a ripple of ugly laughter ran through the Titan's army.

"YOU!" Annabeth turned on Luke. "To think that I... that I thought—"

She drew her knife.

"Annabeth, don't." Percy tried to take her arm, but she shook him off.

She attacked Kronos, and his smug smile faded. Perhaps some part of Luke remembered that he used to like this girl, used to take care of her just like he did with me when we were both little. Annabeth plunged her knife between the straps of his armor, right at his collarbone. The blade should've sunk into his chest. Instead it bounced off. Annabeth doubled over, clutching her arm to her stomach. The jolt might've been enough to dislocate her bad shoulder.

I lunged forward and yanked her back just as Kronos swung his scythe, slicing the air where she'd been standing.

I wouldn't ever wish the pain I felt from being stabbed with that thing on my worst enemy.

She fought me and screamed, "I HATE YOU!" Tears streaked the dust on her face.

"I have to fight him," Percy said, helping me pull her back.

"It's my fight too Percy!"

Kronos laughed. "So much spirit. I can see why Luke wanted to spare you." He looked at me, a twisted smile on his face. "He used to want to spare you too, Lydia Castellan. But you are much too meddlesome and far too much of a problem. Unfortunately I won't be able to spare either of you."

He raised his scythe. Percy and I got ready to defend, but before Kronos could strike, a dog's howl pierced the air somewhere behind the Titan's army.

"Mrs O'Leary?" Percy called.

The enemy forces stirred uneasily. Then the strangest thing happened. They began to part, clearing a path through the street like something behind them was forcing them to.

Soon there was a free aisle down the center of Fifth Avenue. Standing at the end of the block was Percy and I's giant dog, and a small figure in black armor.

"Nico?" Percy called.

Mrs. O'Leary barked and bounded towards us, ignoring the growling monsters on either side. Nico strode forward. The enemy army fell back before him like he radiated death, which of course he did.

Through the face guard of his skull shaped helmet, he smiled. "Got your message, Percy. Is it too late to join the party?"

"Son of Hades." Kronos spit on the ground. "Do you love death so much you wish to experience it?"

"Your death would be great for me," Nico said pleasantly.

"I'm immortal, you fool! I have escaped Tartarus. You have no business here, and no chance to live."

Nico drew his sword— three feet of wicked sharp Stygian iron, black as a nightmare. "I don't agree."

The ground rumbled. Cracks appeared in the road, the sidewalks, the sides of the buildings. Skeletal hands grasped the air as the dead clawed their way into the world of the living. There were thousands of them, and as they emerged, the Titan's monsters got jumpy and started to back up.

"HOLD YOUR GROUND!" Kronos demanded. "The dead are no match for us."

The sky turned dark and cold. Shadows thickened. A harsh war horn sounded, and as the dead soldiers formed up ranks with their guns and swords and spears, an enormous chariot rolled down Fifth Avenue.

It came to a stop next Nico. The horses were living shadows, fashioned from darkness. The chariot was inlaid with obsidian and gold, decorated with scenes of painful death. Holding the reins was Hades himself, Lord of the Dead, with Demeter and Persephone riding behind him.

Hades wore black armor and a cloak the color of fresh blood. On top of his pill head was the helm of darkness: a crown that radiated pure terror. It changed shape as I watched— from a dragon's headed to a circle of black flames to a wreath of human bones.

But that wasn't the scary part. The helm reached into my mind and ignited my worst nightmares, my most secret fears. I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide, and I could tell the enemy army felt the same way. Only Kronos's power and authority kept his ranks from fleeing.

Hades smiled coldly. "Hello, Father. You're looking... young."

"Hades," Kronos growled. "I hope you and the ladies have come to pledge your allegiance."

"I'm afraid not," Hades sighed. " my son here convinced me that perhaps I should prioritize my list of enemies." He glanced at Percy and I with distaste. "As much as I dislike certain upstart demigods, it would not do for Olympus to fall. I would miss bickering with my siblings. And if there is one thing we agree on, it is that you were a TERRIBLE father."

"True," muttered Demeter. "No appreciation of agriculture."

"Mother!" Persephone complained.

Hades drew his sword, a double edged Stygian blade etched with silver. "Now fight me! For today the House of Hades will be called the saviors of Olympus."

"I don't have time for this," Kronos snarled.

He struck the ground with his scythe. A crack spread in both directions, circling the Empire State Building. A wall of force shimmered along the fissure line, separating Kronos's vanguard, my friends, and me from the bulk of the two armies.

"What's he doing?" Percy muttered.

"Sealing us in," Thalia said. "He's collapsing the magic barriers around Manhattan— cutting off just the building, and us."

Sure enough, outside the barrier, car engines revved to life. Pedestrians woke up and stared uncomprehendingly at the monsters and zombies all around them. No telling what they saw through the Mist, but I'm sure it was plenty scary. Car doors opened. At the end of the block, Paul and Sally Blofis got out of their Prius.

"No," Percy gasped. "Don't..."

His mother could see through the Mist. I could tell from her expression that she understood how serious things were. I hoped she would have the sense to run. But then she said something to Paul and ran straight toward us.

Fortunately, Hades caused a distraction. He charged at a wall off force, but his chariot crashed against it and overturned. He got to his feet, cursing, and blasted the wall with black energy. The barrier held.

"ATTACK!" He roared.

The armies of the dead clashed with the Titan's monsters. Fifth Avenue exploded into absolute chaos. Mortals screamed and ran for cover.

Demeter waved her hand and an entire column of giants turned into a wheat field. Persephone changed the dracaenae's spears into sunflowers. Nico slashed and hacked his way through the enemy, trying to protect the pedestrians as best he could.

Percy's parents ran towards him, dodging monsters and zombies. There was nothing we could do to help them.

"Nakamura," Kronos said. "Attend me. Giants— deal with them."

He pointed at my friends and I, then ducked into the lobby.

Ethan shot me a look before darting in after him.

I wonder if he knew his Achilles spot.

The first Hyperborean giant smashed at me with his club. I easily rolled between his legs and stabbed Slasher up his backside. He shattered into a pile of ice shards.

The second giant breathed frost at Annabeth, who was barely able to stand, but Grover pulled her out of the way while Thalia went to work. She sprinted up the giant's back like a gazelle, sliced her hunting knives across the monstrous blue neck, and created the world's largest headless ice sculpture.

"Way to go!" I yelled.

I glanced outside the magic barrier. Nico was fighting his way toward Sally and Paul, but they weren't waiting for help. Paul grabbed a sword from a fallen hero and did a pretty good job keeping a draecaena busy. He stabbed her in the gut and she disintegrated.

"Hell yeah!" I said happily, clapping my hands together.

He turned to us and grinned. "I hope that was a monster I just killed. I was a Shakespearian actor in college! Picked up a little swordplay!"

Someone please give this man a 'World's Best Dad' award.

I couldn't focus on him for long though. A Laistrygonian giant charged toward Sally as she was rummaging around an abandoned police car.

"MOM!" Percy yelled.

She whirled the monster was almost on top of her. I thought the thing in her hands was an umbrella until she cranked the pump and the shotgun blast blew the giant twenty feet backward, right into Nico's sword.

"Nice one!" Paul said.

"When did you learn to fire a shotgun?" Percy demanded.

Sally blew the hair out of her face. "About two seconds ago. Percy, we'll be fine. Go!"

"Yes," Nico agreed. "We'll handle the army. You have to get Kronos!"

"Come on, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said. He nodded then paled. "Chiron..."

I felt awful that I'd momentarily forgotten him.

I turned to Mrs. O'Leary. "Hey girl! Please, Chiron is under there. If anyone can dig him out, you can. Find him! Help him!"

With that she began to dig, and Thalia, Annabeth, Grover, Percy, and I raced for the elevators.


	25. I Get My Heart Ripped To Shreds

The bridge to Olympus was dissolving. We stepped out of the elevator on to the white marble walkway, and immediately cracks appeared at our feet.

"Jump!" Grover said, which was easy for him since he's part of mountain goat. He sprang to the next slab of stone while ours tilted sickeningly.

"Gods, I hate heights!" Thalia yelled as she and I leaped. But Annabeth was in no shape for jumping. She stumbled and yelled, "Percy!"

Percy caught her hand as the pavement fell, crumbling into dust. For a second, I was afraid Annabeth would pull them both over. Her feet dangled in the open air. Her hand started to slip until Percy was holding her only by her fingers. Grover, Thalia, and I grabbed him by his legs. He managed to pull her up and they trembling on the pavement, their arms around each other.

"Cute," I whispered to Thalia.

"Keep moving!" Grover said, tugging Percy's shoulder. He and Annabeth untangled themselves and we all sprinted across the sky bridge as more stones disintegrated and fell into oblivion. We made it to the edge of the mountain just as the final section collapsed.

Annabeth looked back at the elevator, which was now completely out of reach— a polished set of metal doors hanging in space, attached to nothing, six hundred stories above Manhattan.

"We're marooned," she said. "On our own."

Grover bleated. "The connection between Olympus and America is dissolving. If it fails—"

"The gods won't move on to another country this time," Thalia said. "This will be the end of Olympus. The final end."

We ran through the streets. Mansions were burning. Statues had been hacked down. Trees in the parks were blasted to splinters. It looked like someone had attacked in the city with a giant Weedwhacker.

"Kronos's scythe," I muttered.

We followed the winding path toward the palace of the gods. I didn't remember the road being so long. Maybe Kronos was making time go slower, or maybe it was just dread slowing me down. The whole mountaintop was in ruins— so many beautiful buildings and gardens gone.

A few minor gods and nature spirits had tried to stop Kronos. What remained of them was strewn about the road: shattered armor, ripped clothing, swords and spears broken in half.

Somewhere ahead of us, Kronos's voice roared: "Brick by brick! That was my promise. Tear it down BRICK BY BRICK!"

A white marble temple with a gold dome suddenly exploded. The dome shut up like the lid of a teapot and shattered into a billion pieces, raining rubble all over the city.

"That was a shrine to Artemis," Thalia grumbled. "He'll pay for that."

We were running under the marble archway with the huge statues of Zeus and Hera when the entire mountain groaned, rocking sideways like a boat in a storm.

"Look out!" Grover yelped. The archway crumbled. I looked up in time to see a twenty ton scowling Hera topple over on us. Annabeth and Percy would surely have been flattened, but Thalia shoved them from behind and they landed just out of danger.

"Thalia!" I screamed.

When the dust cleared and the mountain stopped rocking, we found her still alive, but her legs were pinned under the statue.

We tried desperately to move it, but it would've taken several Cyclopes. When we tried to pull Thalia out from under it, she yelled in pain.

"I survive all those battles," she growled, "and I get defeated by a stupid chunk of rock!"

"It's Hera," Annabeth said in outrage. "She's had it in for me all year. Her statue would have killed me if you hadn't pushed us away."

Thalia grimaced. "Well, don't just stand there! I'll be fine! Go!"

We didn't want to leave her, but I could hear Kronos laughing as he approached the hall of the gods. More buildings exploded.

"We'll be back," I promised.

"I'm not going anywhere," Thalia groaned.

A fireball erupted on the side of the mountain, right near the gates of the palace.

"We've got to run," Percy said.

"I don't suppose you mean away," Grover murmured hopefully. When we bolted toward, the palace, he whined. "I was afraid of that."

Of the doors of the palace were big enough to steer a cruise ship through, but they'd been ripped off their hinges and smashed like they weighed nothing. We had to climb over a huge pile of broken stone and twisted metal to get inside.

Kronos stood in the middle of the throne room, his arms wide, staring at the story ceiling as if taking it all Lynn. His laughter echoed even louder than it had from the pit of Tartarus.

"Finally!" He bellowed. "The Olympian Council— so proud and mighty. Which seat of power shall I destroy first?"

Ethan stood to one side, trying to stay out of the way of his master's scythe. The hearth was almost dead, just a few coals glowing deep in the ashes. Hestia and Rachel were nowhere to be seen. I hoped they were okay, but I'd seen so much destruction I was afraid to think about it. Bessie swam in his water sphere in the far corner of the room, wisely not making a sound, but it wouldn't be long before Kronos noticed him.

Annabeth, Grover, and I stepped forward into the torchlight. Ethan saw us first.

He hesitated, looking directly into my eyes.

Kronos however, heard us. He turned and smiled through Luke's face. Except for the golden eyes, he looked just the same as he had four years ago when he'd first left. Annabeth made a painful sound in the back of her throat, like someone had just sucker punched her.

"Shall I destroy you first, Jackson?" Kronos asked. "Is that the choice you will make— to fight me and die instead of bowing down? Prophecies never end well, you know." He then looked at me. "Or perhaps you, Lydia Castellan?"

His lips curled into an even crueler smile. "I think perhaps I would like to finish you off first, Castellan. Then Jackson might realize he needs to give up."

He stepped toward, his scythe in his hand.

"Luke would fight with his sword," I challenged. "But I suppose you don't have his skill."

Kronos sneered. His scythe began to change, until he held Luke's old weapon, Backbiter, with its half steel, half Celestial bronze blade. The same one that left my cheek scarred.

Next to me, Annabeth gasped like she'd suddenly had an idea. She looked at Percy. "The blade!" She unsheathed her knife. "The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap!"

Percy and I both didn't understand why she decided in that moment to remind him of that prophecy line. It wasn't exactly a morale booster, considering how Percy had limited time to prepare to either avenge my death or jump in and help me kill Kronos.

Before either of us could say anything, Kronos raised his sword.

"Wait!" Annabeth yelled.

Kronos however, ignored her, and came at me like a whirlwind.

My instincts took over. I dodged and slashed and rolled, but I felt like I was fighting a hundred swordsmen. I used to be able to come close to beating Luke, but this was much harder, and I suddenly found myself being overwhelmed.

I noticed Ethan ducked to one side, trying to get behind Percy, until Annabeth intercepted him. I didn't have time to explain that he probably wasn't trying to kill him. Annabeth and Ethan started to fight, but I couldn't focus on how they were doing or how I was going to tell Percy and Annabeth that Ethan was now on our side.

I was vaguely aware of Grover playing his reed pipes. The sound filled me with warmth and courage— thoughts of sunlight and a blue sky and a calm meadow, somewhere far away from the war.

The feeling made my skin tingle, and for a moment I saw an image of Ethan and I, looking slightly older, and embracing in what was clearly a nice and safe location.

I found myself smiling as Kronos backed me up against the throne of Hephaestus— a huge mechanical La-Z-Boy type thing covered with bronze and silver gears.

Kronos slashed, and I managed to jump straight onto the seat. The throne whirred and hummed with secret mechanisms, and my brain tingled as I watched the gears jump to life. _Defense mode_ , it warned. _Defense mode_.

That couldn't be good. I somersaulted skillfully through the air and straight over Kronos's head as the throne shot tendrils of electricity in all directions. I landed gracefully on my feet and saw one hit Kronos in the face, arcing down his body and up his sword.

"ARGH!" He yelled. He crumpled to his knees and dropped Backbiter.

Annabeth saw her chance. She kicked Ethan out of the way and charged Kronos. "Luke, listen!"

I wanted to shout at her— to tell her she was crazy for trying to reason with Kronos when I was at an advantage— and even to reason with him in general. But there was no time. Kronos flicked his hand. Annabeth flew backwards, ironically slamming into the throne of her mother and crumpling to the floor, letting out a soft cry of pain.

"ANNABETH!" Percy and I yelled.

Ethan got to his feet. I could see he was hesitant and unsure of what to do next. He now stood between Annabeth and Percy. Percy wouldn't be able to fight Ethan without turning his back to Kronos, which would be foolish.

Grover's music took on a more urgent tone. He moved towards Annabeth, but couldn't go any faster and keep up the song. Grass grew on the floor of the throne room. Tiny roots crept up between the cracks of the marble staircase.

Kronos rose to one knee. His hair smoldered. His face was covered with electrical burns thanks to Hephaestus's chair. He reached for his sword, but this time it didn't fly into his hands.

"Nakamura !" He groaned. "Time to prove yourself. You know Jackson's secret weakness. Kill him, and you will have rewards beyond measure."

Ethan's eyes dropped to Percy's midsection and I tensed. I was almost certain he knew EXACTLY where Percy's weak spot was, even though he hadn't made it seem like it before. Even if he couldn't kill Percy himself, all he needed to do was tell Kronos and Percy would be dead.

Ethan was considering it. I could practically read his mind, and I sensed he was thinking that if he allowed Percy to die, he might convince Kronos to spare me.

I should have known that as good as his intentions were, he was still not fully on our side.

"Ethan," I said, my voice trembling. "Ethan— look at me."

He looked up, his eye looking into mine. I could see pain, doubt, fear, and love.

"Ethan, please," I said, gulping. I had to choose my words carefully to not make it seem like he'd already promised me he'd change. "Look around you. The end of the world. Is this really what you want? This? As your reward? Do you really want everything destroyed— the good with the bad? Everything?"

Grover was almost to Annabeth now. The grass thickened on the floor. The roots were almost a foot long, like a stubble of whiskers.

"Lydia," Ethan said softly, his lip trembling. "There... there is no throne to Nemesis. No throne to my mother."

"That's right!" Kronos snapped. He tried to get up, but stumbled. Above his left ear, a patch of blonde hair still smoldered. "Strike them down! They deserve to suffer!"

Kronos then seemed to have an idea, almost as if he too could sense Ethan's thoughts.

"Lieutenant Nakamura," he said. "The rewards... beyond measure." He pointed to me. "She can be included. I will spare her. For you. I swear on the River Styx I will not hurt her if you help me. You will be able to have her. That's what you want, isn't it? I may even forgive you for letting her live after I stabbed her. You have feelings. I can... respect them. Help me and she will not be harmed."

I cursed internally. Kronos had been smart about it— swearing on the River Styx to increase his credibility. It was too good an offer for Ethan to refuse.

"Ethan," I said desperately. "Your mother is the goddess of balance. We all know the minor gods deserve better, Ethan, but total destruction isn't balance. Kronos doesn't build. He only destroys."

Ethan looked at the sizzling throne of Hephaestus. Grover's music kept playing, and Ethan swayed to it, as if the song were filling him with nostalgia— a wish to see a beautiful day, to be anywhere but here. He looked at me, and I swear he mouthed 'I love you.'

"If we win," I said softly, "we can be together. Safely. A-And you mentioned we'd have kids... and grandkids..."

Kronos scoffed furiously. "If children are what you want, Nakamura, you can have them! I will spare her! You will be save to have as many children as you want!"

I could hear the desperation in his voice to one-up me, and make his offer sound more enticing.

"Ethan please," I whispered. I gulped, and closed my eyes. It was difficult for me to say, but I truly felt it in that moment. "I love you."

Ethan's good eye blinked.

Then he charged... but not at Percy, and not at me.

While Kronos was still on his knees, Ethan jumped forward and brought down his sword on the Titan lord's neck. It should have killed him instantly, but the blade shattered. Ethan fell back, grasping his stomach. A shard of his own blade head ricocheted and pierced his armor.

Kronos rose unsteadily, towering over his servant. "Treason," he snarled.

Grover's music kept playing, and grass grew around Ethan's body. He stared at me, his face tight with pain.

"Deserve better," he groaned, wincing. "If they just had thrones..." he then smiled. "Y-You love me too..."

Kronos stomped his foot, and the floor ruptured around Ethan.

I yelled and bolted forward, reaching my arm out in a desperate attempt to grab him as a fissure that went straight through the heart of the mountain and into open air appeared at his feet.

His eyes were wide as his body fell, and his fingertips grazed mine.

"NO!" I screamed, watching him go out of reach. "NO! ETHAN! NO— NO!"

"So much for him," Kronos said, picking up his sword. "And now for the rest of you."

"ETHAN!" I cried, my eyes stinging with tears. My vision blurred, and all I saw was a faded outline of Kronos raising his sword. "NO! ETHAN! ETHAN! ETHAN!"

Percy quickly yanked me back and took my place in front of Kronos, who'd been about to cut my head off.

I could see Grover was at Annabeth's side now. He'd stopped playing and was feeding her ambrosia.

Everywhere Kronos stepped, the roots wrapped around his feet, but Grover had stopped the magic too early. The roots weren't thick or strong enough to do much more than annoy the Titan.

I was crying hysterically as Percy and Kronos began to duel. My hands were gripping the grass in fury, my eyes glued to the fissure where Ethan had disappeared down.

This couldn't be happening.

"It is too late, Percy Jackson!" Kronos yelled. "Behold!"

I sobbed as he pointed at the hearth, making the coals glow. A sheet of white smoke poured from the fire, forming images like an Iris message. I saw Nico and Percy's parents down on Fifth Avenue, fighting a hopeless battle, ringed in enemies. In the background Hades fought from his black chariot, summoning wave after wave of zombies out of the ground, but the forces of the Titan's army seemed just as endless. Meanwhile, Manhattan was being destroyed. Mortals, now fully awake, we're running in terror. Cars swerved and crashed.

The scene shifted and I had to wipe my eyes to see it properly. I was still shivering, my hands trembling furiously.

A column of storm was approaching the Hudson River, moving rapidly over the Jersey shore. Chariots it's circled it, locked in combat with the creature in the cloud.

The gods attacked. Lightning flashed. Arrows of gold and silver streaked into the cloud like rocket tracers and exploded. Slowly the cloud ripped apart, and I saw Typhon clearly for the first time.

I couldn't even concentrate on how terrifying he looked— his face constantly shifting, his body built like earth and monsters mashed together.

Ethan was dead.

For now, that was all I could think about.

"The Olympians are giving their final effort," Kronos laughed. "How pathetic."

Zeus threw a thunderbolt from his chariot. The blast lit up the world. I could feel the shock even here on Olympus, but when the dust cleared, Typhon was still standing. He staggered a bit, with a smoking crater on top of his misshapened head, but he roared in anger and kept advancing.

Typhon stepped into the Hudson River and barely sank to midcalf.

Like a miracle, a conch horn sounded from the smoky picture. The call of the ocean, and Poseidon.

All around Typhon, the Hudson River erupted, churning with forty foot waves. Out of the water burst a new chariot— this one pulled by massive hippocampi, who swam in the air as easily as in water. Poseidon, glowing with a blue aura of power, rode a defiant circle around the giant's legs. As he swung his trident, the river responded, making a funnel cloud around the monster.

"No!" Kronos bellowed after a moment of stunned silence. "NO!"

"NOW, MY BRETHREN!" Poseidon yelled. "STRIKE FOR OLYMPUS!"

Warriors burst out of the river, riding the waves on huge sharks and dragons and seahorses. It was a legion of Cyclopes, and leading them into battle was...

"TYSON!" Percy yelled.

He'd magically grown in size. He had to be thirty feet tall, as big as any of his older cousins, and for the first time he was wearing full battle armor. Riding behind him was the familiar Briares.

All the Cyclopes held huge lengths of black iron chains— big enough to anchor a battleship— with grappling hooks at the ends. They swung them like lassos and began to ensnare Typhon, throwing lines around his legs and using the tide to keep circling, slowly tangling him.

Typhon shook and roared and yanked at the chains, pulling some of the Cyclopes off their mounts— but there were too many chains. The sheer weight of the Cyclops battalion began to weigh Typhon down. Poseidon threw his trident and impaled the monster in the throat. Ichor spewed from the wound, making a waterfall taller than a skyscraper. The trident flew back into Poseidon's hand.

The other gods struck with renewed for us. Ares rode in and stabbed Typhon in the nose. Artemis shot the monster in the eye with a dozen silver and rose. Apollo shot a blazing volley of arrows and set the monster's loincloth on fire. And Zeus kept pounding the giant with lightning, until finally, slowly, the water rose, wrapping Typhon like a cocoon, and he began to sink under the weight of the chains.

When the giant's head finally disappeared in the seething whirpool, Kronos screamed in rage and slashed his sword through the smoke, tearing the image to shreds.

"They're on their way," Percy said. "You've lost."

"I haven't even started."

He advanced with blinding speed. Grover tried to protect Percy, but Kronos tossed him aside like a rag doll.

As Percy sidestepped and jabbed under Kronos's guard, my mind cleared. For a moment, I stopped thinking of Ethan and came to a moment of realization. I knew what Annabeth had been trying to tell him. I knew what I could say that might make Luke fight Kronos off himself.

"STOP!" I cried.

Kronos diverted his attention from Percy and whirled around, slashing Backbiter in the air. I stood quickly, and with ease I caught his blade with mine, pressing hard against his.

"Finally stopped crying, have you?" He roared.

"Luke," I said, glaring straight at him, and sideways at Annabeth. "I understand now. You have to trust me."

"Luke Castellan is dead!" Kronos roared, putting pressure on the hilt of his sword. "His body with burn away as I assume my true form!"

He pressed harder than he ever had all those years that we trained and ended up like this, our blades rubbing so powerfully against each other that it became a game to us.

"Mom saw your fate," I said, my chest tightening at the mere thought of my mother. "She knew."

"Service to Kronos!" He bellowed. "That's my fate!"

"It isn't!" I said, wincing as his blade pressed my own close to my neck. "That's not where it was meant to end, Luke. The prophecy. She saw what you would do. That prophecy applies to YOU!"

"I will crush you, child!" Kronos snarled. "Just like I crushed that idiot boyfriend of yours!"

"You won't," I said confidently, forcing myself to stay focused while straining against the force he was putting on. "You would never hurt me. All these years you let me live. You could have killed me on Mount Tam last year and the year before. You could have made sure I was dead when you impaled me. But even now you can't seem to actually kill me. You promised, remember? And even now you're holding Kronos back."

"LIES!" Kronos roared. He slammed the side of his blade down and with his free hand slapped me across the face so hard that I flew back and slid across the floor. I saw Percy try and get up, but even if he could it'd be useless, because Slasher was longer in my hand and Kronos had Backbiter inches away from my throat.

"Family, Luke," I croaked, breathing heavily and staring at him. "You promised me, you promised Thalia, you promised Annabeth. You promised."

Kronos blinked and staggered backward, and I forced my body to slide sideways to grab the hilt of my sword.

"Promise," Kronos said softly, looking at me. Then his voice became Luke's. "Lydia.... you're bleeding... and you've been crying..."

"Percy," I said, looking at him then at Annabeth, who was holding her side in pain, "bring me Annabeth's knife."

Annabeth knew exactly what I was doing, and handed her knife to Percy, who brought it to me. I sat up as Percy knocked Backbiter out of Luke's hands.

Luke leaned forward to grab my hand, but Percy threw himself between us.

"Don't touch her," he said, his voice dangerous.

"Jackson," Kronos growled. Then it shifted to Luke's voice again. "Lydia... he's changing... he—he's almost ready... he won't need my body anymore.. please— argh— NO!"

Kronos took a step toward the sword and grunting in pain I slowly got up.

"The knife," Luke's voice croaked as he reached his hand out. "You can't do it yourself... he'll break my control.. he'll defend himself... only at my hand... I know where... I can... I can keep him controlled."

"Okay," I said softly, handing him the knife. "I know. Hero's soul. Cursed blade."

I had always had a feeling the prophecy wasn't about Percy.

"Lydia!" Grover helped as Luke's hand wrapped around the knife. "Are you—"

I looked at him, my mouth quivering. Yes, I was crazy.

Luke took his armor off, and revealed a small bit of skin under his left arm that would have been very difficult to hit in combat. Luke raised the knife and stabbed himself.

He howled in pain, his eyes were glowing like fire, the entire throne room shaking.

Then the sound of an explosion filled the air. Luke collapsed into a pile of ashes. Kronos' scythe lay beside him, liquefied like molten metal. His entire left side was bloody, and his eyes were blue again.

"Good... blade...." he gasped.

I fell to my knees at his side, lifting his body and cradling him in my arms.

"I almost killed you.... but you knew..." he said, his voice trembling.

"Yes, Luke," I said, feeling tears rolling down my cheeks. "Mom knew, and I knew. I just didn't think of it sooner. Annabeth figured it out."

Luke gave me a weak smile, then frowned. "Ethan.... gods... I'm so sorry."

I shook my head, quickly blinking away tears. There was nothing to say.

"We can get ambrosia!" Grover said, making me realize he, Annabeth, and Percy had come closer.

"Grover," Luke gulped, turning to him. "You're the bravest satyr I ever knew. Without you, Lydia and Annabeth wouldn't be alive. But there's no healing here..."

Annabeth knelt beside me, and Luke smiled to her, squeezing her hand.

"Did you... love me?" He asked her, his blue eyes growing cloudy. "Did... did you love me how... how Ethan... loved Lydia?"

Annabeth swallowed hard.

"There was a time I thought... well I thought..." She said, wiping her tears away, then looking out of the corner of her eye at Percy. "You were like a brother to me Luke... but I didn't love you..."

Luke nodded, then winced in pain. He shuddered and turned back to Percy, who sat down next to Annabeth. Luke pulled his sleeve abruptly.

"Ethan," he gasped, squeezing his eyes shut. "Me. All the unclaimed. Don't let it... don't let it happen again."

"I won't," Percy said. "I promise."

Luke smiled faintly, then squeezed my hand, rubbing his thumb across my skin.

"Lydia," he said, squeezing his eyes shut. "I always overshadowed you.... I didn't... didn't let them see that you... you were a better swordfighter than me..."

"No, Luke, don't say that," I mumbled. "Y-You were the older brother, it was expected."

"I-I was jealous," he said. "Of you... so young... and so much better." He winced, his lip trembling. "Train... train a lot... please, Lydia.... become the greatest.... then find... The Reaper of Men.... Lityerses.... Lityerses, the son of Midas and Demeter...show him... show him I was right when I said... when I said my baby sister could beat him in a duel..."

So the Reaper of Men had a name.

All these years of Luke mentioning him and some comments from Daedalus and Demeter.

Lityerses.

"You can beat him," Luke said, nodding his head. "I know.... you can."

"Luke," I breathed, touching his face. "I learned from the best. Without you... I'd know nothing...."

He smiled, and I let out another shaky breath.

"I love you," I said softly. "I-I'm sorry... I never told you..."

He let go of my hand and instead pressed my other against his face. "I... love you.... too... little sis. You're not... Baby Castellan anymore, okay? You're... Big Castellan now... be big..."

His body went limp, his hand slack, and his eyes closed.

Annabeth burst into tears and fell into Percy's chest.

"Enjoy Elysium, Luke," I whispered, steady tears rolling down my cheeks. I couldn't hold them back anymore. "You can go... I'll be okay."

I let his body rest on the ground gently, then leaned down, touching his forehead and kissing it as I gave him a blessing.

"Luke," I whispered, my vision once again blurry. "Oh... Luke..."

I choked back a sob and laid down, resting my head on his chest while caressing his face.

Ethan was dead.

Now Luke was dead.

A few minutes later the gods came in, and found Annabeth and Percy sitting beside me as I hugged Luke, not wanting to let go. I had not yet stopped crying.

"Percy," Poseidon said, looking over at me. "What... what is this?"

"We need a shroud," Percy said, his voice cracking. "A shroud for the son of Hermes."


	26. I Almost Become A Goddess

The Three Fates themselves took Luke's body.

It was now wrapped in a white and green shroud. They very gently picked it up and began carrying it out of the throne room.

"Wait."

I turned and saw my dad, and my chest tightened.

He was dressed in his classic outfit of white Greek robes, sandals, and helmet. The wings of his helm fluttered as he walled. George and Martha curled around his caduceus, murmuring, _Luke, poor Luke_.

I couldn't help but think of my mother, alone in her kitchen, baking cookies and making sandwiches for a son who would never come home.

My father unwrapped Luke's face and kissed his forehead, murmuring some words in Ancient Greek just as I had.

A final blessing.

"Farewell," he whispered. Then he nodded and allowed the Fates to carry away my brother's body.

He then came to me, and pulled me into his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around my body to stroke my hair.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as I sniffled loudly, burrowing my face in his robes to muffle my sobs.

The gods set about repairing the throne room, which went surprisingly fast with twelve super powerful beings at work.

Grover, Percy, and I cared for the wounded, and once the sky bridge re-formed, we greeted our friends who had survived.

The Cyclopes had saved Thalia from the fallen statue. She was on crutches, but otherwise she was okay. I made sure to examine her for any spinal damage. Luckily, she had none.

Connor and Travis made it through with only minor injuries. They promised me they hadn't even looted the city much.

When I'd told them about Luke, they'd turned serious, and decided they needed to go be alone for a minute. I respected that.

Mrs. O'Leary had dug Chiron out of the rubble and rushed him off to camp. He was hurt, but alive.

Nico di Angelo came into Olympus to a hero's welcome, his father right behind him, despite the fact that Hades was only supposed to visit Olympus on winter solstices. The god of the dead looked stunned when his relatives clapped him on the back. I doubt he'r ever gotten such an enthusiastic welcome before.

Clarisse marched in, still shivering from her time in the ice block, and Ares bellowed, "There's my girl!"

The god of war ruffled her hair and pounded her on the back, calling her the best warrior he'd ever seen. "That drakon slaying? THAT'S what I'm talking about."

She looked pretty overwhelmed. All she could do was nod and blink, like she was afraid he'd start hitting her, but eventually she began to smile.

Hephaestus passed me, and although he was a little grumpy about me having jumped onto his throne, he thought I'd done "a pretty bang up job, mostly."

Dionysus approached me as well, his head wrapped in a bandage. "Well, Lydia Castellan, I see Pollux made it through, so I suppose you aren't completely inept. It's all thanks to my training, I suppose."

I wasn't in the mood to argue. "Uh... yeah."

Mr. D nodded. "As thanks for my bravery, Zeus has cut my probation at that miserable camp in half. I now have only fifty years left instead of one hundred."

"Congrats," I said unenthusiastically.

He seemed to finally notice how miserable I looked. "I am... sorry. About your brother. And your friend."

I half smiled and he patted my shoulder. "Thank you," he said before walking away to repair his grapevine throne, which had been singed by fire.

Grover and Percy came to my side.

"How are you doing?" Percy asked softly.

"As good as can be expected," I mumbled. "Please talk about anything else."

Grover broke down into tears. "S-So many nature spirits are dead. So many..."

Not the best topic but we rolled with it.

Percy put his arm around Grover and I. "You did a great job, G-man. We will come back from this. We'll plant new trees. We'll clean up the parks. Your friends will be reincarnated into a better world."

He sniffled dejectedly. "I... I suppose. But it was hard enough to rally them before. I'm still an outcast. I could barely get anyone to listen to me about Pan. Now will they ever listen to me again? I led them into slaughter."

"Hey," I said, "they will listen. Because you care about them. You care about the Wild more than anyone."

He tried for a smile. "Thanks, you guys. I hope... I hope you know I'm really proud to be your friend. Both of you are the most amazing people I have ever met."

I patted his arm and Percy ruffled his hair. "Luke was right about one thing, G-man," Percy said. "You're the bravest satyr we have ever known."

I managed a smile as Grover blushed. Before either of us could say anything, conch horns blew. The army of Poseidon marched into the throne room.

"Percy! Lydia!" Tyson yelled. He charged toward us with his arms wide open. Fortunately he had shrunk back to normal size, so his hug was like getting hit by a tractor, rather than an entire farm.

"You are not dead!" He said happily.

"Yeah," I said quietly. "Amazing, huh?"

He clapped his hands and laughed. "I am not dead either. Yay! We chained Typhon. It was fun!"

"I'm sure it was," I said, seeing the fifty other armored Cycloes laughing and nodding behind him as they gave each other high fives.

"Tyson led us," one rumbled. "He is brave!"

"Bravest of the Cyclopes!" Another bellowed.

Tyson blushed. "Was nothing."

"We daw you!" Percy said. "You were incredible!"

"A true hero," I offered.

Grover luckily didn't pass out despite how afraid he was of Cyclopes. He steeled his nerves and said, "Yes. Um... three cheers for Tyson!"

"YAAAAARRRR!" The Cyclopes roared, which roughly translated to " _HIP AND HOORAY_!"

"Ah— please don't eat me," Grover muttered, swaying beside me. I don't think anyone heard him.

The conch horns blasted again. The Cyclopes parted, and Poseidon strode into the throne room in his battle armor, his trident glowing in his hands.

"Tyson!" He roared. "Well done, my son. And Percy—" his face turned stern. He wagged his finger in Percy's face and for a second I thought he might zap him. "I even forgive you for sitting on my throne. You have saved Olympus!

He pulled Tyson and Percy in for a hug, and I stood awkwardly on the side.

"POSEIDON!" A voice roared.

Zeus had taken his throne. He glared across the room at Poseidon while all the other gods filed in and took their seats. Even Hades was present, sitting on a simple stone guest chair at the foot of the hearth. Nico sat cross-legged on the ground at his dad's feet.

"Well, Poseidon?" Zeus grumped. "Are you too proud to join us in council, my brother?"

I honestly thought Poseidon was going to he mad, but he just winked at Percy. "I would be honored, Lord Zeus."

Poseidon then strode over to his fishing seat, and the Olympian Council convened.

Zeus began to talk— giving some long speech about bravery of the gods, etc.

I stood between Chris and Connor, who had their arms wrapped around me. Travis was on the other side of Connor, leaning onto him as we listened.

Chris lifted his hand to rub my back and I gave a shaky breath, resting my head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he said.

I nodded numbly. I didn't know what else to say.

"As for my brothers," Zeus said, "we are thankful—" he cleared his throat like the words were hard to get out— "erm, thankful for the aid of Hades."

The lord of the dead nodded. He had a smug look on his face, but I guess he'd earned the right to do so. He patted Nico on the shoulders, and Nico looked happier than I'd ever seen him.

"And, of course," Zeus continued, though he looked like his pants were smoldering, "we must... um... thank Poseidon."

"I'm sorry brother," Poseidon said. "What was that?"

"We must thank Poseidon," Zeus growled. "Without whom... it would've been... difficult—"

"Difficult?" Poseidon asked innocently.

"Impossible," Zeus said. "Impossible to defeat Typhon."

The gods murmured in agreement and pounded their weapons in approval.

"Which leaves us," Zeus said, "only the matter of thanking our young demigod heroes, who defended Olympus so well— even if there are a few dents in my throne."

He called Thalia forward first, since she was his daughter, and promised her help in filling the Hunters' ranks.

Artemis smiled. "You have done well, my lieutenant. You have made me proud, and all those Hunters who perished in my service will never be forgotten. They will achieve Elysium, I am sure."

She glared pointedly at Hades.

He shrugged. "Probably."

Artemis glared at him some more.

"Okay," Hades grumbled. "I'll streamline their application process."

Thalia beamed with pride. "Thank you, my lady." She bowed to the gods, even Hades, then limped over to stand by Artemis's side.

"Tyson, son of Poseidon!" Zeus called. Tyson looked nervous, but he went to stand in the middle of the Council, and Zeus grunted.

"Doesn't miss many meals, does he?" He muttered. "Tyson, for your bravery in the war, and for leading the Cyclopes, you are appointed a general in the armies of Olympus. You shall henceforth lead your brethren into war whenever required by the gods. And you shall have a new... um... what kind of weapon would you like? A sword? An axe?"

"Stick!" Tyson said, showing his broken club.

"Very well," Zeus said. "We will grant you a new— er— stick. The best stick that may be found."

"Hooray!" Tyson cried, and all the Cyclopes cheered and pounded him on the back as he rejoined them.

"Grover Underwood of the satyrs!" Dionysus called.

Grover came forward nervously.

"Oh, stop chewing on your shirt," Dionysus chided. "Honestly, I'm not going to blast you. For your bravery and sacrifice, blah, blah, blah, and since we have an unfortunate vacancy, the gods have seen fit to name you a member of the Council of Cloven Elders."

Grover collapsed on the spot.

"Oh, wonderful," Dionysus sighed as several naiads came forward to help Grover. "Well, when he wakes up, someone tell him that he will no longer be an outcast, and that all satyrs, naiads, and other spirits of nature will henceforth treat him as a Lord of the Wild, with all rights, privileges, and honors, blah, blah, blah. Now please, drag him off before he wakes up and starts groveling."

"FOOOOOOOD," Grover moaned, as the nature spirits carried him away.

I figured he'd be okay. He would wake up as a Lord of the Wild with a bunch of beautiful naiads taking care of him. Life could be worse.

Athena called, "Annabeth Chase, my own daughter."

Annabeth walked forward and knelt at her mother's feet.

Athena smiled. "You, my daughter, have exceeded all expectations. You have used your wits, your strength, and your courage to defend this city, and our seat of power. It has come to our attention that Olympus is... Well, trashed. The Titan Lord did much damage that will have to be repaired. We could rebuild it by magic, of course, and make it just as it was. But the gods feel that the city could be improved. We will take this as an opportunity. And you, my daughter, will design these improvements."

Annabeth looked up, stunned. "My.... my lady?"

Athena smiled wryly. "You are an architect, are you not? You have studied the techniques pf Daedalus himself. Who better to redesign Olympus and make it a monument that will last for another eon?"

"You mean... I can design whatever I want?"

"As your heart desires," the goddess said. "Make us a city for the ages."

"As long as you have plenty of statues of me," Apollo added.

"And me," Aphrodite agreed.

"Hey, and me!" Ares said. "Big statues with wicked swords and—"

"Alright!" Athena interrupted. "She gets the point. Rise, my daughter, official architect of Olympus."

Annabeth rose in a trance and walked back to Percy.

"Lydia Castellan," Hermes said, his expression still riddled with grief. "Come here, my child."

I walked forward slowly and knelt, my breathing still unstable.

"You have lost... a great deal in this war," he said. "I have been told you managed to survive Kronos's scythe. That is a feat not many could have accomplished. You fought bravely despite how many things you had to consider when making your decision. You convinced Luke to destroy Kronos. You are, my daughter, my greatest pride and joy. Words cannot express how proud I am of you."

I looked up, my eyes still watering.

"You too, shall receive a gift," he said. "However I will hold off on that, as it is connected to Percy Jackson's gift."

He waved at Percy. "Come, beside her."

The room was completely silent as Percy knelt beside me, looking directly at his father.

"Rise, both of you," Poseidon said.

We both stood uneasily.

"Great heroes must be rewarded," Poseidon said. "Percy, you have done something incredible. Now, is there anyone here who would deny that my son and this daughter of Hermes are deserving?"

I wondered what exactly we were deserving of.

I was surprised none of the gods protested, considering how they never agreed on anything.

"The Council agrees," Zeus said. "Percy Jackson and Lydia Castellan, you will have one gift from the gods."

"Any gift?" Percy asked uncertainly.

Zeus nodded grimly. "I know what you will ask. The greatest gift of all. Yes, if you both want it, it shall be yours. Th gods have not bestowed this gift on mortal heroes in many centuries, but Perseus Jackson, Lydia Castellan, if you wish it, you shall be made gods. Immortal. Undying. Perseus, you shall serve as your father's lieutenant for all time. And you, Lydia, will serve as the goddess for all swordfighters within existence."

I swayed on the spot, and felt my heart leap in my chest.

"Um... a god?" Percy asked. "Us... be gods?"

Zeus rolled his eyes. "You'd be a dimwitted god, apparently. But yes. With the consensus of the entire Council, I can make you both immortal. Then I will have to put up with you forever."

"Hmm," Ares mused. "That means I can smash them both to a pulp as often as I want, and they'll just keep coming back for more. I like this idea."

"I approve as well," Athena said, though she was looking at Annabeth.

I had told myself some time ago that perhaps when the war was over, I would join the Hunters and be free of Olympus.

This would just tie me more to it.

I saw how Percy looked at Annabeth. We'd be leaving her and all our other friends.

I couldn't stop thinking of Charles Beckendorf, Michael Yew, Silena Beauregard, Ethan, and Luke.

Percy and I didn't have to rehearse our answers.

"No," we said at the same time.

We looked at each other and small smiles appeared on our faces.

The Council was dead silent. The gods frowned at each other like they must have misheard.

"No?" Zeus said. "You are... turning down our generous gift?"

There was a dangerous edge to his voice, like a thunderstorm about to erupt.

"We're honored and everything," Percy said quickly. "Don't get us wrong. We have a lot of our lives left to life. I'd hate to peak in my sophomore year. And Lydia's going to become a surgeon in just a few years."

I nodded. "We appreciate your consideration. However, we are not ready for such responsibility. There are about a million things we have yet to do."

Athena was the only one who seemed to appreciate our explanation.

The other gods were glaring as if we were unappreciative brats. Annabeth, Connor, Travis, and Chris, however, looked incredibly happy. That made up for it.

Percy leaned into my ear. "I have an idea. If you like it, it can be both our wishes."

"Alright," I said. "I trust you."

Percy nodded. "We have a gift in mind. Do you promise to grant us our wish?"

Zeus considered it. "If it is within our power."

"It is," Percy said. "And it's not even difficult. But I need your promise on the River Styx."

"What?" Dionysus cried. "You don't trust us."

I smile wryly. "Someone once told us we should always get a solemn oath."

Hades shrugged. "Guilty."

"Very well!" Zeus growled. "In the name of the Council, we swear by the River Styx to grant your reasonable request as long as it is within our power."

The other gods muttered assent. Thunder boomed, shaking the throne room. The deal was made.

"From now on, we want you to properly recognize the children of the gods," Percy said. "All of the children... of all of the gods."

I nodded in agreement. I liked this wish.

The Olympians shifted uncomfortably.

"Percy," Poseidon said, "what exactly do you mean?"

"Kronos couldn't have risen if it hadn't been for a lot of demigods who felt abandoned by their parents," Percy said. "They felt angry, resentful, and unloved, and they had good reason."

Zeus's royal nostrils flared. "You dare accuse—"

"No more undetermined children," Percy said. "We want you to promise to claim your children— all your demigod children— by the time they turn thirteen. They won't be left out in the world on their own at the mercy of monsters. We want them claimed and brought to camp so they can be trained right, and survive."

"Now wait just a moment," Apollo said, but I cut him off.

"That goes for the minor gods too," I said. "Hecate, Morpheus, Janus, Hebe—" I faltered. "And Nemesis. They all deserve a general amnesty and a place at Camp Half-Blood. Their children shouldn't be ignored."

"Oh!" Percy added. "Calypso and the other peaceful Titan-kind should be pardoned too. And Hades—"

"Are you calling me a minor god?" Hades bellowed.

"He's not, my lord," I said quickly. "It's just that your children shouldn't be left out. They should have a cabin at camp. Nico has proven that. No unclaimed the demigods will be crammed into my cabin anymore, wondering who their parents are. They'll have their own cabins, for all the gods."

"And no more pact of the Big Three," Percy added. "That didn't work anyway. You've got to stop trying to get rid of powerful demigods. We are going to train them and accept them instead. All children of the gods will be welcome and treated with respect." He looked at me and I nodded. "That is our wish."

Zeus snorted. "Is that all?"

"Percy," Poseidon said, "you ask much. You presume much."

"We hold you to your oath," I said. "All of you."

Percy and I got a lot of steely looks. Strangely, it was Athena who spoke up.

"They are correct," she said. "We have been unwise to ignore our children. It proved a strategic weakness in this war and almost caused or destruction. Percy Jackson, I have had my doubts about you, but perhaps—" she glanced at Annabeth, and then spoke as if the words had a sour taste— "perhaps I was mistaken. I move that we accept your plan."

"Humph," Zeus said. "Being told what to do by two mere children."

"You almost made us gods," I muttered.

He shot me an annoyed looked. "But I suppose..."

"All in favor," Hermes said, smiling down at me.

All the gods raised their hands.

"Um, thanks," Percy said sheepishly.

We both turned, but before either of us could leave, Poseidon called, "Honor guard!"

Immediately the Cyclopes came forward and made two lines from the thrones to the door— an aisle specifically for Percy to walk through. I smiled and pushed him toward it.

"All hail, Perseus Jackson," Tyson said. "Hero of Olympus... and my big brother!"

________

My father pulled me aside as everyone began to leave.

He had formed an Iris message near the fountain, and was looking over the city.

"Turning down immortality," he said, looking at me with a curious expression.

"It was the right choice," I said grimly.

He turned his attention back to the Iris message. "Look at them. They've already decided Typhon was a freak series of storms. Don't I wish... They haven't figured out how all the statues in Lower Manhattan got removed from their pedestals and hacked to pieces. They keep showing a shot of Susan B Anthony strangling Frederick Douglass. But I imagine they'll even come up with a logical explanation for that."

"Awkward," I mumbled. "How bad is the city?"

My father shrugged. "Surprisingly, not too bad. The mortals are shaken, of course. But this is New York. I've never seen such a resilient bunch of humans. I imagine they'll be back to normal in a few weeks; and of course I'll be helping."

"You?" I asked.

"I'm the messenger of the gods," he said. "It's my job to monitor what the mortals are saying, and if necessary, help them make sense of what's happened. I'll reassure them. Trust me, they'll put this down to a freak earthquake or a solar flare. Anything but the truth."

He sounded bitter. George and Martha curled around his caduceus, but were silent.

"Percy Jackson apologized to me just before I called you over," he said quietly.

"Oh," I said quietly, looking down.

"He said he thought I'd abandoned you and Luke because I knew his future and didn't do anything to stop it. He seemed to understand that I couldn't tell him what was to come. That I knew he'd make the right choice."

"Well, you did," I mumbled. "You knew this whole time."

Hermes stared at the fountain. "No one can tamper with fate, Lydia, not even a god. If I had warned him what was to come, or tried to influence his choices, I would've made things even worse. Staying silent, staying away from him... from you... and your mother... that was the hardest thing I've ever done."

"I understand," I said quietly.

He grimaced. "You know about your mother's curse, yes? And how it was Hades who made it?"

"Chiron told me," I mumbled. "Years ago."

Hermes nodded and ran a had through his hair. "I have a theory. The oath you and Jackson made us swear to... it made Hades's children no longer be outcasts. I believe if the Oracle of Delphi finds a new host... perhaps your mother... will be cured."

"Cured?" I asked. "W-What do you mean?"

"As in the glowing eyes... it'll leave her," Hermes said. "That is my theory. That she would be okay."

My heart skipped a beat. "I-Is it too much to hope?"

He looked off into the distance. "I'm not sure."

He looked down. "Luke died... believing I didn't care about him. I will never forgive myself."

He slashed his caduceus through the mist. The Iris picture disappeared.

"Luke loved you, dad," I said. "I'm certain in the end he realized his fate and why you couldn't help him. He remembered what was important."

"Too late for us all," Hermes said quietly.

"You have other children," I noted. "More siblings of mine. Honor Luke by recognizing them. All the gods can do that."

His shoulders sagged. "They'll try, Lydia. Oh, we'll all try to keep our promise. And maybe for awhile things will get better. But we gods have never been good at keeping oaths. Your friend Percy was born because of a broken promise. Eventually we'll become forgetful. We always do."

"You can change."

Hermes laughed. "After three thousand years, you think the gods can change their nature?"

"Yeah. I do."

My father looked surprised. "You think... Luke actually loved me, then? After all that happened?"

"I'm sure of it," I whispered.

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, pulling me in and kissing my forehead.

"It will hurt," he said, stroking my hair. "So much. These next months will be difficult for you. You will never forget Ethan or Luke. And I know you know that eventually you will have to move on. You can't let this weigh you down. You know to succeed in your own life you need to be strong. Keep your grades up."

He pulled away to cup my face in his hands. "Lydia, I am phenomenally proud of all you have done. You are the greatest daughter any parent could ask for. Ask for help when you need it. You will heal. You will learn to live with the fact that they are no longer here. And you will move on... become a neurosurgeon... get married... probably have kids..."

I choked, squeezing my eyes shut as I forced more tears back.

I just didn't know how to live in a world where Ethan and Luke didn't exist.


	27. I Say My Goodbyes And Hellos

When I got outside, I found out Rachel had stolen Blackjack and had gone to Camp.

"What was she thinking?" Annabeth asked as we all ran for the river.

Percy looked sideways at me and I furrowed my eyebrows.

Traffic was horrible. Everybody was out on the streets gawking at the war zone damage. Police sirens wailed on every block. There was no possibility of catching a cab, and the pegasi had flown away. I would've settled for some Party Ponies, but they had disappeared along with most of the root beer in Midtown. So we ran, pushing through mobs of dazed mortals that clogged the sidewalks.

"She'll never get through the defenses," Annabeth said. "Peleus will eat her."

I cursed, not having considered that. The Mist wouldn't fool Rachel like it would most people. She'd be able to find the camp no problem, but I'd been hoping the magical boundaries would just keep her out like a force field.

Percy had made it seem like she was about to do something awful.

And quite unfortunately, I could sense it had to do with the Oracle.

"We've got to hurry," Percy said. He glanced at Nico. "I don't suppose you could conjure up some skeleton horses."

He wheezes as he ran. "So tired... couldn't summon a dog bone."

Finally we scrambled over the embankment to the shore, and Percy whistled.

Three wake lines appeared in the gray water, and a pod of hippocami broke the surface. They whinnied unhappily, shaking the river muck from their manes. They had some pretty dirty mouths too, and were cursing every other word. They were beautiful creatures, with multi colored fish tales, and the heads and four legs of white stallions. The hippocampus in front was much bigger than the other— a ride fit for a Cyclops. I understood why they hated the muck more than usual.

"Rainbow!" Percy called. "How's it going, buddy?"

" _Awful_ ," Rainbow neighed. " _This water is fucking disgusting_."

I snorted and Percy reddened.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," he said. "But it's an emergency. We need to get to camp."

" _Oh alright,"_ Rainbow whinnied _. "How's Tyson?"_

"Tyson?" Percy said. "Tyson is fine! I'm sorry he's not here. He's a big general now in the Cyclops army."

The hippocami all whinnied happily. " _Will he bring us apples now?"_

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll still bring you apples," Percy said. "Now about that ride..."

In no time, Annabeth, Nico, Percy, and I were zipping up the East River faster than jet skis. We sped under the Throgs Neck Bridge and headed for Long Island Sound.

It seemed like forever until we saw the beach at camp. We thanked the hippocampi and waded ashore, only to find Argus waiting for us. He stood in the sand with his arms crossed, his hundred eyes glaring at us.

"Is she here?" Percy asked.

He nodded grimly.

"Is everything okay?" Annabeth said.

Argus shook his head.

We followed him up the trail. It was surreal being back at camp, because everything looked so peaceful— no burning buildings, no wounded fighters. The cabins were bright in the sunshine, and the fields glittered with dew. But the place was mostly empty.

Up at the Big House, something was definitely wrong. Green light was shooting out all the windows— just like the vision Chiron had shown me from when my mother had had her accident. Mist— the magical kind— swirled around the yard.

Chiron lay on the horse sized stretcher by the volleyball pit, a bunch of satyrs standing around him. Blackjack cantered and nervously in the grass.

" _Don't blame me, boss_!" Blackjack pleaded to Percy as we approached. " _The weird girl made me do it!"_

Rachel stood at the bottom of the porch steps. Her arms were raised like she was waiting for someone inside the house to throw her a ball.

I realized she was waiting for the Oracle to come down.

"What's she doing?" Annabeth demanded, not understanding. "How did she get past the barriers?"

"She flew," one of the satyrs said, looking accusingly at Blackjack. "Right past the dragon, right through the magic boundaries."

"Rachel!" Percy called, but the satyrs stopped him when he tried to get any closer.

"Percy, don't," Chiron warned. He winced as he tried fo move. His left arm was in a sling, his two back legs in splints, and his head wrapped in bandages.

I kneeled down, pressing my hand on his forehead. He cried out in slight pain as my hand began to glow, but seconds later he let out a sigh of relief.

He turned back to Percy. "You can't interrupt."

"I thought you explained things to her!" Percy cried.

"I did. And I invited her here."

I stared at him in disbelief. "You— you what? Chiron that's an enormous risk... my mother—"

"I know," he said. "But Rachel had a vision about the curse of Hades. She believes it may be lifted now. She convinced me she deserves a chance."

"That's insane," I said. "N-No— you can't have possibly let her try it out right away. What if the curse isn't lifted? If Hades hasn't gotten to that yet, she'll turn into another version of my mother!"

The Mist swirled around Rachel. She shivered like she was going into shock.

"Hey!" Percy shouted. "Stop!"

Percy ran forward, and so did I. We got within ten feet and hit something like an invisible beach ball. We both bounced back and landed in the grass.

Rachel opened her eyes and turned. She looked at us like she was sleepwalking— like she could see us, but only in a dream.

"It's all right," she said, her voice dreamy and far away. "This is why I've come."

"You'll be destroyed!" Percy yelled.

She shook her head. "This is where I belong, Percy. I finally understand why."

She sounded exactly like my mother.

The house rumbled. The door flew open and green light poured out. I recognized the warm musty smell of snakes.

Mist curled into a hundred smoky serpents, slithering up the porch columns, curling around the house. Then the Oracle appeared in the doorway.

The withered mummy shuffled forward in her rainbow dress. She looked even worse than usual, which is saying a lot. Her hair was falling out in clumps. Her leathery skin was cracking like the seat of a worn out bus. Her glassy eyes stared blankly into space, but I got the creepiest feeling she was being drawn straight toward Rachel.

Rachel held out her arms. She didn't look scared at all.

"You've waited too long," Rachel said. "But I am here now."

The sun blazer more brightly. A man appeared above the porch, floating in the air— a blond dude in a white toga, with sunglasses and a cocky smile.

"Apollo," I said.

He winked at me but kept his finger to his lips.

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare," he said. "You have the gift of prophecy. But it is also a curse. Are you sure you want this?"

Rachel nodded. "It's my destiny."

"Do you accept the risks?"

"I do."

"Then proceed," the god said.

Rachel closed her eyes. "I accept this role. I pledge myself to Apollo, God of Oracles. I open my eyes to the future and embrace the past. I accept the spirit of Delphi, Voice of the Gods, Speaker of Riddles, Seer of Fate."

I had no idea where she was getting the words, but they flowed out of her as the Mist thickened. A green column of smoke, like a huge python, uncoiled from the mummy's mouth and slithered down the stairs, curling affectionately around Rachel's feet. The Oracle's mummy crumbled, falling away until it was nothing but a pile of dust in an old tie-dye dress. Mist enveloped Rachel in a column.

For a moment I couldn't see her at all. Then the smoke cleared.

Rachel collapsed and curled into a fetal position. Annabeth, Nico, Percy, and I rushed forward, but Apollo said, "Stop! This is the most delicate part."

"What's going on?" I demanded. "What do you mean?"

Apollo studied Rachel with concern. "Either the spirit takes hold, or it doesn't."

"And it if doesn't?" Annabeth asked.

"Five syllables," Apollo said, counting them on his fingers. "That would be real bad."

Despite Apollo's warning, Percy ran forward and knelt over Rachel. The smell of the attic was gone. The Mist sank into the ground and the green light faded. But Rachel was still pale. She was barely breathing.

I saw her eyes open. "Percy," she said, as if she could barely see his outline.

"Are you okay?" Percy asked.

She tried to sit up. "Ow." She pressed her hands to her temples.

I ran forward and replaced her hands in mine. When the glowing subsided, she was no longer dizzy.

"Rachel," Nico said, "your life aura almost faded completely. I could SEE you dying."

"I'm all right," she said. "Help me up, please. The visions are a little disorienting."

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked.

Apollo drifted down from the porch, and came to stand beside me. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce the new Oracle of Delphi."

"You're kidding," Annabeth said.

Rachel smiled. "It's a little surprising for me too, but this is my fate. I saw it when I was in New York. I know why I was born with true sight. I was meant to become the Oracle."

"You mean you can tell the future now?" Percy asked.

"Not all the time," she said. "But there are visions, images, words in my mind. When someone asks me a question, I.... oh no—"

"It's starting," Apollo announced.

Rachel doubled over like someone had punched her. Then she stood up straight and her eyes glowed serpent green.

Instinctively, I jumped back, my hands shaking as my heart beat a million miles per hour.

Just like my mother.

When she opened her mouth, her voice sounded like three of her were talking at once:

" _Eight half-bloods shall answer the call._

_To storm or fire the world must fall._

_An oath to keep with a final breath,_

_And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death_."

At the last word, Rachel collapsed into Nico and Percy's arms. They helped her onto the porch. Her skin was feverish.

"I'm all right," she said, her voice returning to normal.

"What was that? Percy asked.

She shook her head, confused. "What was what?"

"I believe," Apollo said, "that we just heard the next Great Prophecy."

"What does that mean?" Percy demanded.

Rachel frowned. "I don't even remember what I said."

"No," Apollo mused. "The spirit will only speak through you occasionally. The rest of the time, our Rachel will be much as she's always been. There's no point in grilling her, even it she has just issued the next big prediction for the future of the world."

"What?" Percy said. "But—"

"Percy," Apollo said, "I wouldn't worry too much. The last Great Prophecy about YOU took almost seventy years to complete. This one may not even happen in your lifetime."

I had a strange feeling about it.

"Maybe," I mumbled. "But it didn't sound so good."

"No," Apollo said cheerfully. "It certainly didn't. She's going to make a wonderful Oracle!"

It was hard to drop the subject, but Apollo insisted that Rachel needed to rest, and she did look pretty disoriented.

"I'm sorry, Percy," she said. "Back on Olympus, I didn't explain everything to you, but the calling frightened me. I didn't think you'd understand."

"I still don't," he admitted. "But I guess I'm happy for you."

Rachel smiled. "Happy probably isn't the right word. Seeing the future isn't going to be easy, but it's my destiny. I only hope my family..."

She didn't finish her thought.

"Will you still go to Clarion Academy?" Percy asked.

"I made a promise to my father," she said. "I guess I'll try to be a normal kid during the school year, but—"

"But right now you need to sleep," Apollo scolded. "Chiron, I don't think the attic is a proper place for our new Oracle, do you?"

"No, indeed." Chiron looked much better now, and was even walking. With my powers and Apollo's magic, he'd gone back to normal. "Rachel may use a guest room in the Big House for now, until we give the matter more thought."

"I'm thinking a cave in the hills," Apollo mused. "With torches and a big purple curtain over the entrance... really mysterious. But inside, a totally decked out pad with a game room and one of those home theater systems."

I cracked a smile, but Chiron simply cleared his throat loudly.

"What?" Apollo demanded.

Rachel kissed Percy on the cheek. She whispered something in his ear then followed Chiron into the Big House.

Apollo led me away.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, his brows furrowed in concern.

"Godawful," I mumbled. "There's a lot of distractions right now, but I know later at the funerals... it's all going to come out."

He put his hand on my forehead and mumbled some words in Ancient Greek.

"You already do therapy, yes?" He asked.

"Mhm. Twice a week."

"Up it to three times a week up until you leave for school. You're still fairly close by so you should be able to pop by on weekends for group therapy."

I winced. "Alright."

"Don't make that face," he said sternly. "You know you're going to need it. My children tell me you've always tried to play it off like you are strong, Lydia. And they tell me how therapy is really the only release you get— where you can be emotional and not be judged. You have to allow yourself to feel. Allow yourself to cry. Don't hold it back. Don't care about what other people think. You've always been strong and now you have a right to show weakness. I know what it's like to lose someone you love..."

His eyes became cloudy, and he shook his head as if to toss the thought aside.

"Regardless," he said. "Just... follow my advice, okay? You don't want to walk into your senior year completely miserable. You'll be okay, eventually. But you need to start working on it now. It will help the pain go away."

I didn't realize I'd started crying until Apollo smiled gently and handed me a tissue.

I let out a sob and he pulled me into a hug.

_________

The rest of the day was as strange as the beginning. Campers trickled in from New York by car, pegasus, and chariot. I distracted myself by caring for the wounded with the Apollo cabin.

The dead were given proper funeral rites at the campfire.

Silena's shroud was hot pink, but embroidered with an electric spear. The Ares and Aphrodite cabins both claimed her as a hero, and lit the shroud together. No one mentioned the word 'spy.' The secret burned to ashes as the designer perfume smoke drifted into the sky.

Michael Yew's shroud was gold, and embroidered with a treble clef and a bow and arrow. Despite always focusing on his healing, he'd been the best musician and one of the best archers. Will, Austin, and Kayla lit his shroud, and Will was appointed the next Senior Counselor.

Percy and Annabeth surprised me by putting a shroud for Ethan. It was black silk with a logo of two swords crossed under a set of scales.

"You guys," I said, covering my mouth, my eyes welled up with tears as they handed me the torch. "Y-You..."

"He deserved it," Percy said quietly. "The Stolls told me about how he tried to help. He was a hero, Lydia. And Annabeth and I thought he deserved a funeral here too."

I sobbed, my mouth still covered with one hand as I took the torch with the other and set the shroud on fire.

Once I'd sat down, Nico came and tapped me on the shoulder.

"Someone wants to say goodbye." Was all he said before leading me to a secluded area of the woods, where a ghostly figure lingered.

"Ethan," I breathed, my mouth trembling.

He turned to me, and smiled. "Lydia."

I walked up to him, and he reached an arm out, but then drew it back.

"I-I can't touch you," he mumbled. He swallowed hard. "I'm so sorry... I should've done something sooner... but I hesitated. Again."

"Ethan," I said. "Please... don't blame yourself. Kronos would have killed you anyway."

He nodded, and floated so close to me that our chests would have been pressing together if he had a solid figure.

Even as a ghost he had to crane his neck down to look me in the eyes.

His hand brushed the side of the face, but all I felt was cold air. I could feel tears rolling down my cheeks, and sensed he'd been making a useless attempt at drying them.

"I wish... we could have grown old together," he said softly. "Gods, Lydia... I love you so much..."

I swallowed, and tried to speak. But the words couldn't come out.

I simply couldn't bring myself to say it back.

Last time I'd said it, he died.

"I-I—" I stammered. "I-I l-lo—" I faltered, and looked down. I couldn't say it back. "E-Ethan I-I'm sorry—"

"I understand," he said, his smile not fading. "I know... I know." His expression became more serious. "Please Lydia... don't stay tied to me. Please, move on."

"What if I don't w-want to?" I said in a shaky voice.

"You should," he said. "You know it's healthy for you."

I looked away, and he sighed.

"Luke... went for rebirth," Ethan said quietly. "He told me to tell you how sorry he was."

I squeezed my eyes shut, my lip quivering as my tears rolled off my chin and onto my shirt.

"I want to try for rebirth too," Ethan said. "I want... a chance to redeem myself. Elysium is... not something I feel like I deserved. I want to feel like I belong there."

"Y-You do belong there," I whimpered. "Y-You d-do..."

He shook his head. "Please... don't let my memory weigh you down. I hurt you. I hurt you in a way no person should ever be hurt. And I loved you. But I still made so many mistakes I wish I could take back. I want to try for a better life. To make it back to Elysium and feel like I'm worthy of being there with Beckendorf and Silena..."

He stopped, and breathed deeply. "You deserve someone who will treat you like the queen you are. Cause Queen Castellan... you are... something else. Someone who deserves so much good. You have this... this talent for your swordfighting... you're absolutely brilliant and you... you're going to save so many lives one day. You need someone that will appreciate you and praise you and will love you... so, so much... and never betray you the way I did. Please... for me. Let yourself move on."

I forced myself to look back at him. "M-Maybe. Okay? Maybe."

He half smiled. "We'll see each other again someday. Maybe not in this form. Maybe not in this life. But we will. Okay?"

I nodded, and he wrapped his arms around me. I couldn't feel the hug, but still felt the warm feeling I knew should come with it.

Ethan pulled away, and nodded to Nico. "Take care, Lydia. I can't wait to see, through the eyes of whoever I become next, what amazing discoveries Dr. Lydia Castellan, World-Renowned Neurosurgeon comes up with. Until we meet again."

His image dissolved, and I swayed.

"Until we meet again," I whispered, breaking down into sobs once more.

__________

Dinner at the pavilion was lowkey. The only highlight was Juniper, who screamed, "GROVER!" and gave her boyfriend a flying tackle hug, making everybody cheer. They went down to the beach to take a moonlit walk, and I was happy for them, though the scene reminded me of Silena and Beckendorf, which made me sad.

When I'd finished eating, I went and patted Percy on the shoulder.

"Percy," I said. "Happy birthday, kid."

"Hey! I'm only a year younger than you," he whined. "But thanks. Are you leaving?"

I nodded. "Just... for a little while. I'll be back in a day or two. My dad sent a message. Nico's taking me back to Connecticut."

"Oh," he said. "What for?"

I looked to Chiron and winced. "My mother. The curse... is broken on her. My father's theory was right."

Percy's eyes widened. "Lydia— that's amazing!"

I smiled wryly. "I don't know, Percy. I hardly know her. She won't remember it all."

He frowned. "I-I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "It's fine. Just take care, okay? Don't do anything stupid. And please, for the love of the gods, make a move on Annabeth, will you?"

He blushed. "Alright."

"Good." I ruffled his hair and walked to where Nico was waiting for me by the Big House.

"Thank you for this. And for earlier," I said.

"No problem," he said. He took my hand, and we appeared in Connecticut.

He left me to walk into the house alone, where I found my father and mother sitting together in the living room.

There were no more mirrors on the walls.

The peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were all gone.

There were no dirty dishes in the sink.

There was not a single stuffed animal in sight.

"Mom," I said, seeing she looked disoriented.

She looked up at me. "Lydia..."

My father stood. "I just explained to her... everything."

I looked back at my mother, who was rubbing her hands together. "Luke... my poor baby..."

I swallowed. "I know... mom. I know."

I didn't spend too much time talking to her. She was highly distressed, and my father decided she should be put to bed.

He then pulled me aside.

"I'm afraid... the damage of all these years is much too severe," Hermes said. "She is still... very confused. And delusional. I think the curse left her with permanent brain damage. We will check later but... I'm afraid she'll simply develop Alzheimer's, Lydia. I don't think any magic can heal her."

I swayed, and he had to grab my shoulders to stabilize me.

"So... she's still gone?" I asked.

"Not yet. But... she will be. I suggest you get to know her the best you can. I will arrange for her to be put in a facility where proper nurses and doctors can care for her. But be prepared... she will likely soon begin to forget you, and everything I explained."

"Great," I said hoarsely. "So she'll get to know me then forget me."

Hermes hugged me. "Don't you worry. Just... focus on school, okay? And take care of yourself. Visit her often, and check her scans yourself to see if... a disease is indeed progressing in her."

I nodded, and closed my eyes.

I was praying the next Prophecy would not come into play within the following years. Hopefully never in my life.

This Prophecy had torn my family and my life apart. I had lost the two people I loved most in the world, and was now unlikely to get a chance to even get to know my mother properly before she faded away.

I didn't want to know what would happen to me the next time around.


	28. We Lose A Weirdo and Find Three

**Lydia Castellan's POV**

_Winter 2009_

First semester of senior year has gone... alright.

Or at least it was going alright until I got Annabeth's call.

After finding out my mother indeed has her brain damaged enough to be considered a victim of Alzheimer's, I went back to camp and packed my things to live with her while she got used to her new facility.

She still remembers me when I visit her. But that's probably only because there is a picture of me on her wall with a sign over it that reads 'This is Lydia. Lydia is your daughter. If the nurse tells you Lydia came to visit, open the door.'

My mother and I have tried to have conversations. But she gets overwhelmed sometimes, and has constant headaches.

The removal of the curse didn't exactly help her.

I have done my best to try and help her adjust to the facility. I taught her how to knit (don't ask how I knew how to in the first place) and she does it often now. On weekends I'll try and do artsy activities and during weekdays, we do puzzles and other brainy things. I've tried to find a way to exercise both her hemispheres, to hopefully strengthen her a bit.

"Come on, mom," I said, tossing another paint filled balloon against the large canvas I'd set on the wall. "You can throw it."

Her hand trembled as she looked at the balloon. "Throwing... is okay?"

"Yeah," I said, patting her hand. "Throwing is okay. We're making a nice abstract painting for the nice nurses, remember?"

She looked blankly at me. "Nurses?"

"Yes. Remember? The nurses who take care of you?"

She looked over my face and shook her head.

"Who... who are you?"

My chest tightened and I pointed to the picture and the sign.

She read it and smiled. "Lydia. My daughter. That's right. I opened the door for you, didn't I?"

"Yes mom. I gave you that gold star."

I pointed at the newest gold star sticker put on her wall. Every time I visited I brought her one simply for opening the door. She had dozens of them now.

"Gold star for me," she said happily. "I like that. Now... what do I do with the balloon?"

"You throw it."

"Throwing... is okay?"

"Yes, mom."

She's not getting worse, but she's not getting better.

I only went back to Camp once to say goodbye to Pollux before he left for UPenn, then went straight back.

Of course I attended therapy, but Will and Austin were nice enough to come to me since they were year rounders and didn't have anywhere else to be.

I think it's safe to say I'm getting better.

I don't have nightmares anymore.

I don't need sleeping pills or anxiety meds anymore.

I haven't needed to cry in awhile.

As difficult as its been, I've tried my best to do just as Ethan asked me to, and moved on.

To be honest, I hadn't even been planning to go back to Camp for winter break. Annabeth and Percy had started dating on his birthday and they'd gotten early vacations from school. I didn't feel like third wheeling and I thought it might be nice to travel and just have time to relax after these distressing past months.

I'd hacked into the airport database and got my mother and I tickets to London to go sightseeing.

Just for one moment I thought I'd have a stress free winter break, and spend some time with my mother before she forgot me forever.

But obviously being a demigod, that hardly ever happens.

It was early in the morning on December 14 when my phone rang.

I was in my room packing my bags before heading down to take my last three finals of the semester.

I never had any calls. I really only had a phone in case a nurse from the Alzheimer's Care Center needed to reach me.

When I heard Annabeth's voice, I flipped out.

"Hello?" I asked, furrowing my brows.

"You have to come!" She sobbed. "Quickly!"

"Woah— slow down. What happened?"

"Percy's gone! He just— he's gone! No one knows where he went!"

"Gone?" I cried. "But how can he just disappear?"

"I don't know!" She wailed. "B-But he made his bed, Lydia. He NEVER makes his bed. Something is wrong!"

I felt my chest tighten. "Annabeth... try and... be calm for now. I'll be there in the morning— I have three more finals to take. Have any available campers do a sweep of the city. Contact Sally."

She sniffled. "I-I'm worried, Lydia."

"I know," I breathed. "I know. Just... breathe. I will see you tomorrow. Call me if anything changes."

She hung up.

I was in no mood to take finals but did my best, and that night cancelled my flight and left a note for my principal before dashing out the door and hailing a taxi.

I arrived early in the morning, and ran to my cabin to drop off my bags before I met Annabeth and Chiron in the Big House.

"Anything?" I asked, tossing my jacket onto the couch.

Annabeth looked at me miserably. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

We spent the next two days searching. I took a team through all of New York, looking at familiar places and asking people if they'd seen Percy.

We found nothing.

The morning of December 17, it seemed we might have a lead.

The infamous Hera contacted Annabeth through a dream and said she would find out what happened to Percy if she went to the Grand Canyon skywalk and found a guy with one shoe.

Annabeth didn't question it. As much as she hated Hera, any lead was something useful.

She asked Butch, one of the newer campers and a son of Iris, to accompany us to the Grand Canyon. He was a good chariot rider and great with the pegasi, and was much more levelheaded throughout this whole matter since he hardly knew Percy. He would stay calmer than Annabeth and I, at any rate.

"Damn it," Annabeth said, wringing her hands together as the Grand Canyon came into view. "Damn it."

"You don't think Hera has something to do with it, do you?" I asked, polishing my throwing knives. "She's meddlesome as fuck."

Annabeth shrugged, now biting her nails.

"Hey, quit," I said, slapping her hand.

She flinched. "I-I'm sorry. I'm just so nervous."

She groaned and covered her face. "Oh Lydia I haven't even bothered asking how you've been. I'm sorry..."

"It's okay," I said. "I've been okay. Finally moved onto the 'Acceptance' stage about three weeks ago and now am... cleansed. Meditating is an awesome practice by the way. I do it every day now."

"How's your mom?"

"Bummed out when I called to tell her we wouldn't be going to London. But two seconds later she forgot who was calling so I think she'll be alright."

Annabeth winced.

"I see people!" Butch announced.

We descended over the skywalk and saw three teenagers on it. One guy was missing a shoe.

"Well there's the I-live-under-a-freeway wannabe you were supposed to find," I muttered.

Butch landed us about ten feet away from them. Annabeth leapt off the chariot before it even stopped moving and whipped out her knife, storming up to the one shoed kid— a blonde who looked oddly familiar.

"Where is he?" She demanded.

"Where's who?" He asked, clearly startled.

Annabeth frowned. She turned to the other two teenagers— a scrawny, curly haired Latino that reminded me of Connor, and a Cherokee looking girl with dazzling eyes. "What about Gleeson? Where is your protector, Gleeson Hedge?"

I trotted up to Annabeth, pushing her knife down to her side.

The three kids stared at me strangely.

The Latino boy cleared his throat. "He got taken by some... tornado things."

"Venti," Jason said. "Storm spirits."

Annabeth and I looked at each other.

"Uh... I think you mean anemoi thuellai," I said. "That's the Greek term for it."

"But that doesn't matter," Annabeth said. "Who are you and what happened?"

The blond haired boy— who I learned was named Jason— began to explain something about how the anemoi had attacked them— including the Latino boy, Leo— and carried Hedge away and that someone— the girl, Piper— had fallen off the skywalk and he could fly so he carried her up.

When he finished, Annabeth cried out in frustration.

"No, no, no!" She snapped. "She told me if I came here, I'd find the answer!"

"Annabeth," Butch said, pointing down at Jason's feet. "He's the answer."

"No, Butch," she insisted. "He can't be."

"Annabeth," I said as gently as I could. "Hera never gives us answers right from the get go. Maybe it has more to it—"

She growled. "She just tricked me, Lydia! She always does!" She glared up at the sky. "What do you want from me?" She screamed. "What have you done with him?"

The skywalk shuddered, and the horses whinnied urgently.

"Annabeth," Butch said, "we gotta leave. Let's get these three to camp and figure it out there. Those storm spirits might come back."

"Let them come," I said. "We'll just destroy them."

Butch rolled his eyes. "Lydia even YOU'RE out of practice. We should go."

I frowned and sighed.

"Fine," Annabeth said, still fuming. She fixed Jason with a resentful look. "We'll settle this later."

She turned on her heel and marched toward the chariot. Butch followed her.

Piper shook her head. "What's HER problem, what's going on?"

"Seriously," Leo agreed.

I smiled wryly to the teenagers. "We'll explain more on the way. For now we have to get you out of here."

"I'm not going anywhere with her," Jason said, gesturing toward Annabeth. "She looks like she wants to kill me."

I laughed. "Trust me the only person she wants to kill right now is Hera. You'll be fine."

"Fine?" Leo said incredulously.

"Look, Annabeth is awesome. She's been a sister to me and my best friend since I was eight. You have to cut her some slack. Hera sent her a vision telling her to come here."

"But why?" Piper asked.

"Well... one of our campers has been missing for three days. She's going out of her mind with worry. I've tried to be optimistic but it's getting difficult. We both hoped he'd be here."

"Who?" Jason asked.

"Her boyfriend, and my other best friend," I said. "A guy named Percy Jackson."

The teens didn't question the matter as I led them toward the chariot.

Butch handled the reins while Annabeth adjusted the navigation device. I went back to what I was doing, polishing my knives.

"So," Leo said, looking down at me. "That's... ten knives. You have ten knives."

"And a sword," I said, patting the case where Slasher was in.

"Ten knives and a sword."

I nodded. "Thalia wants me to carry a bow and arrow too, but I refuse."

"Who's Thalia?" Piper inquired.

"My sister from another mister," I said happily, now tucking my knives away.

"Uh... so how old are you guys?" Leo asked, clearly trying to break the ice.

"Annabeth and Butch are seventeen. I just turned eighteen."

"Damn," Leo said, looking sideways at me.

"Hey," I said. "You remind me too much of my brother. Even if I was your age it wouldn't happen."

He blushed and cleared his throat. "Well this is certainly really cool. Where are we going?"

"A safe place," Annabeth said. "The only safe place for kids like us. Camp Half-Blood."

"Half-Blood?" Piper asked immediately. "Is that some kind of bad joke?"

"She means we're demigods," Jason said. "Half god, half mortal."

I looked at him and narrowed my eyes. "You seem to know a lot, Jason. But yes, demigods. My dad is Hermes, the god of messengers, among other things. Annabeth's mom is Athena, goddess of wisdom. Butch here is the son of Iris, goddess of rainbows."

Leo choked. "Your mom is a rainbow goddess?"

"Got a problem with that?" Butch said.

"No, no," Leo said. "Rainbows. Very macho."

"Butch is our best equestrian," Annabeth said. "He gets along great with the pegasi. Almost as good as Lydia, and he doesn't speak their language like she does."

"Rainbows, ponies," Leo muttered.

"I'm gonna toss you off this chariot," Butch warned.

Leo quickly changed the subject. "Lydia... you speak horse?"

"I speak all languages existing on Earth," I said.

Leo decided to test me. "¿ _En serio? Entonces dime tu comida favorita."_

I rolled my eyes. " _Sí, en serio. No sé, honestamente, pero creo que son enchiladas. A mi amigo Grover le encantan y él las compra cada rato y me da para comer_."

Leo was clearly surprised, cause he whistled.

"Demigods," Piper said suddenly. "You mean you think you're... you think we're—"

Lightning flashed. The chariot shuddered, and Jason yelled, "Left wheel's on fire!"

Piper stepped back. Sure enough, the wheel was burning. White flames lapped up the side of the chariot.

"Damn it!" I hissed. "I promised Will I'd keep the chariot safe!"

The wind roared. I looked behind us and saw dark shapes forming in the clouds. They looked somewhat like horses.

"What are they—" Piper began.

"Anemoi come in different shapes," Annabeth said. "Sometimes human, sometimes stallions, depending on how chaotic they are. Hold on. This is going to get rough. Lydia, can you—?"

"With pleasure," I said.

Just before Butch flicked the reigns, I let a knife fly off my fingers. It cut through two anemoi then flew back to me.

"Heads up," I said, casually sticking up my arm to catch the knife.

Leo and Piper gaped at me. It seemed like Jason had already seen people do stuff like that, because he wasn't too shocked that I did it.

I had a feeling he knew something, but didn't know he knew it.

The peagsi suddenly put on a burst of speed, and the chariot blurred.

Minutes later, a cold gray ocean could be seen stretching out to the left. Snow-covered fields, roads, and forests spread to the right. Directly below was Camp Half-Blood, looking like an island of sprinting as its green valley rimmed with snowy hills on three sides and water to the north.

I was getting ready for us to land, when the wheels flew off and the chariot dropped out of the sky.

Annabeth and Butch tried to maintain control. I tried using the skills I had from working with Beckendorf in the forges and used the chains tucked on the floor and my sword to create a balance for the other side of the chariot. It only sort of worked. The pegasi were still labored to hold the chariot in flight pattern, but they seemed super exhausted from their burst of speed, and bearing the weight of the chariot and six people was just too much.

"We're gonna fucking crash!" I said, kicking my leg out as a barrier to stop the others from falling off the back of the chariot.

"The lake!" Annabeth yelled. "Aim for the lake!"

We hit the lake incredibly hard. I managed to keep my senses long enough to immediately grab the two closest to me— Leo and Jason— and drag them up beside me.

Piper was brought up to the surface by a couple of naiads as campers rushed forward to give us blankets.

Butch ignored them and quickly cut the wrecked harnesses off the pegasi, who were cursing worse than Blackjack.

" _Hey_ ," I said as Will began storming over to me. " _Watch your mouth_."

" _Come on_!" One of them whined. " _We have a_ _reason_!"

" _And it's not like they can understand us_!" The other complained.

"LYDIA CASTELLAN!"

I sheepishly turned around. "Hi, Will..."

"I said you could BORROW the chariot, not destroy it!" He said, looking super annoyed but also really worried.

"I promise I'll fix it," I said. "I've got extra time. I'm sorry."

He scowled at his chariot. "I can't be mad at you," he mumbled, shaking his head.

Will may have been younger than me but as my therapist, he treated me like I was the younger one, and was always pitying me.

"Hey," I said. "No pity, remember?"

He rolled his eyes. "Personal growth plan. Fine." He held up both his hands and flipped me off. "Fuck you!" He smirked.

I laughed, and shook my head to get the water out of my hair.

Will finally turned his attention to the new demigods. "These are the ones? Way older than thirteen. Why haven't they been claimed already?"

"Claimed?" Leo asked.

Annabeth was about to explain, but Will cut her off. "Any sign of Percy?"

"No," we mumbled softly.

The campers murmured amongst themselves, looking distraught.

"We'll find him, okay?" I said reassuringly.

Not even Annabeth seemed to believe me.

Just then, one of the campers stepped forward.

Drew Tanaka had never exactly been my favorite person, considering how she always talked crap to my face. But after the battle, she'd learned to not mess with me. She respected my authority now (which was a milestone for me) and was almost afraid of me.

I didn't like the way she was looking at Jason. It seemed to be making Piper uncomfortable.

"Well," she said. "I hope they're worth the trouble."

Leo snorted. "Gee, thanks. What are we, your new pets?"

"No kidding," Jason said. "How about some answers before you start judging us— like, what is this place, why are we here, how long do we have to stay?"

"All those questions will be answered in a bit," I said. Then I turned to Drew and frowned. "And all demigods are worth saving, except, maybe you. But unfortunately you're already here, aren't you?"

She gritted her teeth, but stepped back.

Unfortunately Piper decided to butt in.

"Hey," she said, "we didn't ask to be brought here."

I liked Piper's spunk, I'll give her that. But Drew was just not the person to mess with when you're fresh meat at camp.

Drew sniffed. "And nobody wants you, hon. Does your hair always look like a dead badger?"

Piper stepped forward, clearly ready to smack her, but I yanked her back.

"I'm sorry, Drew, but don't you look like a whiny faced bitch on a daily basis?" I snapped. "I wouldn't be talking. Oh, and if I have to find out from someone again that you've been an asshole to Sadie Kane, I'll make it my business to make sure not even Aphrodite can fix you."

Drew glared at me.

She and several of her siblings attended Brooklyn Academy of the Gifted, and I'd heard them talking two days ago about how Drew will just not stop harassing some poor girl named Sadie Kane. I have never met Sadie, but by making Drew think I have, I'm hoping she'll piss off.

"We need to make our new arrivals feel welcome," Annabeth said, shooting a pointed look at Drew as she tried to alleviate the tension. "We'll assign them each a guide, give them a tour of camp. Hopefully by the campfire tonight, they'll be claimed."

"Would somebody tell me what claimed means?" Piper said, clearly exasperated.

There was a collective gasp. We all turned toward Leo, who now had a blazing holographic image of a fiery hammer over his head.

"That," Annabeth said, "is claiming."

I leaned over to Piper. "Basically your godly parent does something like THAT to show you're their kid."

"What'd I do?" Leo yelped, backing toward the lake. He glanced up. "Is my hair on fire?" He ducked, but the symbol followed him, bobbing and weaving so it looked like he was trying to write something in flames with his head.

"This can't be goos," Butch muttered. "The curse—"

"Not now, Butch," I said quickly. "Leo— you've just been claimed—"

"By a god," Jason mused, clearly fascinated. "That's the symbol of Vulcan, isn't it?"

All eyes turned to him.

"Jason," Annabeth said carefully, "how did you know that?"

"I'm not sure," he said. He looked completely serious.

"Vulcan?" Leo demanded. "I don't even LIKE Star Trek. What are you talking about?"

"Vulcan is the Roman name for Hephaestus," Annabeth said, "the god of blacksmiths and fire."

The fiery hammer faded, but Leo kept swatting at the air like he was afraid it was following him. "The god of WHAT? Who?"

Annabeth turned to Will. "Would you take Leo, give him a tour? Introduce him to his bunk mates in Cabin Nine."

"Sure," Will said.

"What's Cabin Nine?" Leo asked frantically. "I'm not a Vulcan!"

"Come on, Mr Spock, I'll explain everything." Will put his hand on his shoulder and steered him off toward the cabin.

Annabeth turned back to Jason and frowned, and nudged me. I looked down at his arm.

"Wait," I said, narrowing my eyes. "Hold out your arm."

Jason's arms were bare now, as he'd removed his windbreaker after our dip in the lake. He had a tattoo on his forearm— darkly etched, a dozen straight lines like a sort of bar code, and over that an eagle with the letters SPQR.

Annabeth and I looked at each other.

"I've never seen marks like this," she mumbled. "Where did you get them?"

Jason shook his head. "I'm getting really tired of saying this, but I don't know."

I grabbed his arm and observed it, tracing my fingers over it.

I lifted my hand, and concentrated.

A holographic image of the contents of the tattoo appeared. I'd just learned I could do the 'look inside stuff' thing with humans too— although I don't recommend you try it. I had to tell one of my school friends she had a kidney tumor.

I could see how the tattoo looked within his arm. The layers of ink were huge, and at the bottom, it looked burned.

"They got burned on," I murmured.

"They were," Jason said. Then he winced, as if his head were aching. "I mean... I think so. I don't remember."

All the campers looked at Annabeth and I.

"He needs to go straight to Chiron," Annabeth decided. "Drew, would you—"

"I can take him," I offered at the same time as Drew said "Absolutely."

Annabeth sighed. "Lydia I need you with me." She nodded to Drew, who smiled smugly.

She laced her arm through Jason's. "This way, sweetie. I'll introduce you to our director. He's... an interesting guy." She flashed Piper a smug look and led him away.

"And you're a bitch," I hissed.

Piper snorted. "Who's Chiron? Is Jason in some kind of trouble?"

I hesitated. "We'll know soon."

"Come on," Annabeth said, waving to both of us. "Lydia and I will give you a tour. We need to talk."


	29. Hera Is a Meddlesome Bit-

Annabeth's heart clearly wasn't in the tour.

I tried to butt in and explain stuff about the archery training, pegasus riding, lava wall, and my swordfighting classes, but Annabeth took over and did a shit job of highlighting all the fun things offered at Camp.

Remind me to never ask her to help me promote my class.

Thankfully it wasn't too big an issue. Piper seemed more intrigued by the many campers we now had and probably on figuring out more about Annabeth and I, considering how everyone else viewed us as the leaders.

As we climbed a hill at the edge of the camp, Piper's breath hitched and I saw she was now looking over the valley at the enormous stretch of woods to the northwest, our beautiful beach, the creek, the canoe lake, and the cabins.

"The valley is protected from mortal eyes," I said, noticing Annabeth was zoned out. "The weather is controlled too, obviously. Each of those cabins represents a Greek god— a place for that god's children to live. I'm very proud to announce we now have twenty six cabins."

"You didn't use to?" Piper asked.

I smiled slightly. "No. We didn't."

"What's that one there? The one with the broken wheel over the door and torches outside?"

I breathed in deeply, and I noticed Annabeth looked at me with worry.

"That is the cabin of Nemesis," I said. "Goddess of vengeance and justice."

"It looks... interesting," Piper said. "Does anyone live there?"

"One person," I said. "His name's Damien White— new arrival. He won't be here long though, he's my age, so he'll head off to college in a year or so."

"He's an only child?"

"He wasn't— or isn't. We've only ever known about one other child of Nemesis."

Piper seemed much more intrigued by this. I suppose she figured her godly parent was her mother, and enjoyed the aesthetic of the Nemesis cabin so much she wanted to live in it.

"Really?" She asked. "Did they already go to college?"

Annabeth flinched. "Uh— Piper—"

"No, Annabeth, it's fine," I said, waving my hand. "I'm... okay." I looked back to Piper. "His name... was Ethan. He was my best friend. And... probably would've been my boyfriend."

"Was? Would've been?" Piper asked softly. "What... happened? If you don't mind me asking."

Annabeth didn't seem okay with her questioning me, but then she seemed to remember that I was still the same open book I'd been four years ago when I'd just told Percy so many details about myself rather than dodge his questions.

"He... died," I said, my hands tucked into my pockets as I gazed over the valley. "He was a hero, in the end."

Piper was silent. "I'm so sorry..."

"It's alright." I brushed some strands of hair out of my face. I noticed I wasn't tearing up.

Progress.

"The thought of it all doesn't cause me as much pain, anymore," I continued. I smiled to her. "Maybe... one day I'll tell you more about it. When I'm ready."

She nodded slowly, looking mildly guilty.

"So," Annabeth said after a brief silence. "You're taking this awfully calmly."

Piper took a shaky breath. "I guess after this morning it's all a lot easier to believe. Who's my mom?"

"We should know soon," Annabeth said. "You're what, fifteen? Gods are supposed to claim you when you're thirteen. That was the deal."

"The deal?"

"They made a promise last summer," I said. "It... ties in with my story. They basically promised not to ignore their demigod children anymore, to claim them by the time they turned thirteen. Sometimes it takes a little longer, but you saw how fast Leo was claimed once he got here. Should happen for you soon. Tonight at the campfire, I bet we'll get a sign."

"Why thirteen, though?" She asked.

"The older you get, the more monsters notice you and try to kill you," Annabeth said. "Round thirteen is usually when it starts. That's why we send protectors into schools to find you guys, get you to camp before it's too late."

"Like Coach Hedge?"

Annabeth nodded. "He's— he was a satyr: half man, half goat. Satyrs work for the camp, finding demigods, protecting them, bringing them in when the time is right."

"What... what happened to him?" Piper asked. "When he went up into the clouds? Did he... well is he gone for good?"

"Hard to say." Annabeth's expression was pained. "Storm spirits... difficult to battle. Even our best weapons, Celestial bronze, will pass right through them unless you catch them by surprise. Like Lydia earlier— they weren't expecting her to throw a knife, that's how some managed to be vaporized."

Piper furrowed her eyebrows. "Jason's sword just turned them to dust too."

"Ah, he got lucky," I said. "If you hit a monster just right, you can dissolve them and send their essence back to Tartarus."

"Tartarus?"

"A huge abyss in the Underworld, where the worst monsters come from," I said. "Kind of like a bottomless pit of evil. Usually takes monsters months, even years to reform again. But since this storm spirit— Dylan, you said? Horrible name, sorry to any Dylans. He— well, I don't know why he kept Hedge alive. Hedge was a protector, though. He knew the risks. Satyrs don't have mortal souls. He'll be reincarnated as a tree or a flower or something."

Piper winced and tucked her hands under her arms, trying to stop them from shaking.

"It'll be okay," Annabeth promised. "You have friends here. We've all been going through a lot of weird stuff. We know what you're going through."

"I've been kicked out of five different schools the past five years," Piper said. "My dad's running out of places to put me."

"Only five?" Annabeth said. She was dead serious. "Piper, we've all been labeled troublemakers. Lydia ran away from home when she was six. I did when I was seven."

Piper automatically turned to me. "How many schools have you been kicked out of?"

I laughed. "Not as many. My brother and I were on the streets for a few years. I just took a test to catch up to the kids my age. I never went to first or second grade. I jumped straight to third. From there just.... yeah maybe six schools."

"I got kicked out of eight," Annabeth said, smirking slightly. "I argued with teachers about answers. Couldn't sit still. Most of us have ADHD, dyslexia, or both—"

"Leo's ADHD," Piper noted.

"Right," Annabeth said. "It's because we're hardwired for battle. Restless, impulsive— we don't fit in with regular kids. You should hear how much trouble Percy—" she faltered, and her face darknened.

"So," I said, quickly changing the subject. "We all got bad reps. How'd you get in trouble?"

"I steal stuff," Piper said.

"Oh, me too," I said with a smirk. "My kleptomania is not as bad as it is with my siblings, though."

She blinked. "I should clarify. It's stealing but... not REALLY stealing..."

"Is your family poor?"

Piper laughed bitterly. "Not even. I did it... I don't know why. For attention, I guess. My dad never had time for me unless I got in trouble."

Annabeth nodded. "I can relate. But you said you didn't really steal? What do you mean?"

"Well... nobody ever believes me. The police, teachers— even the people I took stuff from; they're so embarrassed they'll deny what happened. But the truth is, I don't steal anything. I just ask people for things. And they give me stuff. Even a BMW convertible. I just asked. And the dealer said 'Sure, take it.' Later, he realized what he'd done, I guess. Then the police came after me."

She paused and I smirked.

"What?" She said defensively.

"Well Piper I'm VERY bummed out we aren't sisters," I said. "If your DAD were the god, I'd be certain you're a child of Hermes. My father is very convincing. Some of my siblings have that trait— persuasion that's almost like charmspeak. But the majority of my siblings just... steal. And they do it right under your nose. But since your dad is mortal..."

"Very," Piper agreed.

I shrugged. "Who knows, then. With luck, your mom will claim you tonight."

There was silence.

"Come on," Annabeth said at last. "There's something else I need to check."

We hiked a little farther until we reached a cave near the top of a hill.

"What's in there?" Piper asked.

Annabeth poked her head inside, then sighed and closed the curtains. She looked at me and shook her head.

"Damn," I mumbled. "And well right now, nothing. My girlfriend's place."

"Your girlfriend?"

"They're not actually dating," Annabeth said. "It's a sort of inside joke for them. She's our friend. We've been expecting her for a few days but so far, nothing."

"Your friend lives in a cave?"

Annabeth almost managed a smile. "Actually, her family has a luxury condo in Queens, and she goes to a finishing school in Connecticut. But when she's here at camp, yeah, she lives in the cave. She's our oracle, tells the future. I was hoping she could help me—"

"Find Percy," Piper guessed.

Annabeth's expression dropped, and became painful.

"Hey," I said, quickly wrapping my arms around Annabeth. "Hey— breathe, breathe—"

Piper looked extremely guilty. I knew it wasn't her fault, but I wished she hadn't brought it up.

Annabeth rubbed her eyes and I helped her sit down.

"You look ready to drop," Piper said softly. "How long have you been searching for your boyfriend?"

"Three days, six hours, and about twelve minutes..."

Piper gulped. "And you have no idea what happened to him.

Annabeth shook her head miserably. "We were so excited because we both started winter break early. We met up at camp on Tuesday, figured we had three weeks together. It was going to be great. Then after the campfire, he— he kissed me good night, went back to his cabin, and in the morning, he was gone. We searched the whole camp. Contacted his mom. Had Lydia come back to lead a search of the city. Nothing. He just disappeared."

"How long were you guys together?" Piper asked.

"Since August," Annabeth said. "August eighteenth."

"Almost exactly when I met Jason," Piper said. "But we've only been together a few weeks."

I winced. "Piper... about that. Maybe you should sit down."

"Look," she said, clearly panicked now. "I know Jason thought— he thought he just appeared at our school today. But that's not true. I've known him for four months."

"Piper," I said. "It's the Mist."

"Missed... what?"

"M-i-s-t. It's a kind of veil separating the mortal world from the magic world. Mortal minds— they can't process strange stuff like gods and monsters, so the Mist bends reality. It makes mortals see things in a way they CAN understand— like their eyes might just skip over this valley completely or they might look at Peleus over there and see a pile of cables."

Piper swallowed. "No— you two told me I'm not a regular mortal. I'm a demigod."

"Even demigods can be affected. We've seen it lots of times. Monsters infiltrate some place like a school and pass themselves off as human and everyone THINKS they remember that person— that they've always been around. The Mist can change memories— even create memories of things that never happened—"

"But Jason's not a monster!" Piper insisted. "He's a human guy, or demigod, or whatever you want to call him. My memories aren't fake. They're so real. The time we set Coach Hedge's pants on fire. The time Jason and I watched a meteor shower on the dorm roof and I finally got the stupid guy to kiss me..."

I felt an incredible amount of pain FOR her as she startled rambling about him, and all her memories, and how they simply couldn't be fake.

"Piper.." Annabeth said softly. "Your memories are a lot sharper than most. I'll admit that, and I don't know why that is. But if you know him so well—"

"I do!"

"Then where is he from?"

Piper faltered. "He must have told me but—"

"Did you ever notice his tattoo before today? Did he ever tell you anything about his parents or his friends or his last school?"

"I—I don't know but—"

"Piper, what's his last name?"

Her expression went blank.

Then she burst into tears.

Annabeth winced. "Hey— we'll figure it out. Jason's here now. Who knows? Maybe it'll work out for you guys for real."

Piper brushed a tear from her cheek. "You... you brought me up here so no one would see me blubbering, huh?"

Annabeth shrugged. "I figured it would be hard for you. Lydia and I... we both know what it's like to lose your boyfriend."

I was surprised this didn't make my heart ache so much.

"But I still can't believe... I KNOW we had something. And now it's just gone, like he doesn't even recognize me. If he really did just show up today, then why? How'd he get there? Why can't he remember anything?"

"Good questions," I said. "Hopefully Chiron can figure that out. But for now, we need to get you settled. You ready to go back down?"

"Yeah," Piper said softly. "I'm ready."

_________

"Apollo's cabin," Annabeth explained as we passed by some campers playing basketball with some incredible three point shots. "Bunch of show offs with missile weapons— arrows, basketballs."

We passed by two campers swordfighting.

"Fix your stance, Ian!" I yelled to one. "And Henry don't let your guard down— just because he's shorter doesn't mean he's slower!"

Piper blinked. "Those are real blades? Isn't that dangerous."

"Pffft, nah," I said. "I've taught them well. They know how to practice safely. They're only dangerous against real opponents."

I subconsciously traced the scar on my cheek.

"Who gave you that?" Piper asked.

I smiled wryly. "My brother."

"On accident or—?"

"Ah, who knows. I'll figure it out one day."

She looked slightly afraid.

"That's my cabin over there," Annabeth said, pointing to the Athena cabin. "And ah— speaking of blades, come here."

She led Piper around the side of the cabin, to the big metal shed where the weapons were stored.

"Every demigod needs a weapon," Annabeth said. "Hephaestus makes the best, but we have a pretty good selection, too."

I whipped out Slasher. "This baby was made by two Hephaestus kids when I was nine. Especially for me. It's called Slasher."

"How'd you name it?" Piper asked.

"An idea from an old Apollo camper, Lee Fletcher. He said people called me that sometimes."

"Old camper?" She asked cautiously.

"He died a year and a half ago."

Annabeth winced. I could tell she was uncertain why I kept letting Piper ask me all sorts of questions.

I'm an open fucking book, I don't know what she expects. Besides, I have to learn to be able to talk about these things without feeling pain. And so far, I'm finding I've healed nicely.

"Athena is all about strategy," Annabeth continued. "I want to get you the right weapon. Let's see... Lydia? Your evaluation?"

I circled Piper, observing her form. I grabbed one of her arms and felt it, then kneeled down to knock on her knees and feel her calves.

Piper didn't complain.

"She's going to be a knife fighter," I said.

"What?" Piper asked. "How do you know that?"

"Spears and swords are difficult for your body type. Don't get me wrong you're fine, I just mean your muscle concentration is in your legs, not your arms. That's a prominent trait in knife fighters. Since it doesn't have as much reach, they need quick feet. Spear fighters have mostly upper body strength. Us swordfighters have both, in s mall proportions."

Annabeth looked sideways at me. "That's just her professional opinion. You can still learn sword, it'll just take practice. Those are usually better."

"You use a knife." Piper pointed to the one strapped to Annabeth's belt.

"Well... yeah, but..." Annabeth shrugged. "Alright— take a look there at the knives, if you want.

Piper nodded. She looked somewhat pleased.

She took a few minutes to examine the knives before going to the far corner and picking a particular bronze blade. Annabeth tensed when she noticed which one she got.

"Uh... you think she should get that one?" Annabeth whispered.

"She's strong enough to handle what comes with it," I mumbled. "I think she'll be fine."

Piper came back and showed me the blade.

"It suits you," I said. "That kind of blade is called a parazonium."

"It was mostly ceremonial, and carried by high ranking officers in Greek armies," Annabeth added. "It showed you were a person of power and wealth, but in a fight, it could protect you just fine."

"I like it," Piper said. "Why didn't you think it was right?"

Annabeth blushed. Piper had head her earlier. "Well... that blade has a long story. Many people would be afraid to claim it. Its first owner... well, things didn't turn out too well for her. Her name was Helen."

Piper gasped. "Wait, you mean THE Helen? Helen of Troy?"

Annabeth and I nodded.

"And it's just sitting in your toolshed?!"

"We're surrounded by Ancient Greek stuff," Annabeth said. "This isn't a museum. Weapons like that— they're meant to be used. They're our heritage as demigods. That was a wedding present from Menelaus, Helen's first husband. She named the dagger Katoptris."

"Meaning?"

"Mirror," I said. "Looking glass. Probably because that's the only thing Helen used it for. I don't think it's ever seen battle."

Piper looked at the blade, then gasped, and Very suddenly dropped it.

"Piper?" Annabeth was about to yell for a medic when Piper stopped her.

"No— it's okay," she said quickly. She however, looked very distressed. "I just got overwhelmed... so much happening today. But I want to keep the dagger, if that's okay."

Annabeth hesitated. "Okay... if you're sure."

"I'm fine," Piper promised. "Is there...um, a phone at camp? Can I call my dad?"

I looked sideways at Annabeth.

"We aren't allowed phones," she said. "Most demigods, if they use a cell phone, it's like sending up a signal— letting monsters know where you are. But... I've got one." She slipped it out of her pocket. "Kind of against the rules, but if it can be our secret..."

Piper took it carefully and stepped a bit aways from us.

"So," Annabeth whispered as Piper began to talk. "What do you make of this? Any theories?"

"I thought you always hated my theories."

"Yeah until almost all of them ended up being right. I know you must be thinking something."

I rubbed my hands together. "SPQR. Senātus Populusque Rōmānus. It was the ancient Roman Republic's government. Lines burned on. The eagle. Jason. Knowing Latin. Annabeth... what if there's a Roman version of Camp Half Blood?"

She blinked. "You're not serious, are you?"

"I mean think of it. If Greek gods exist now, why wouldn't Romans? And maybe Egyptians? What if Nordic mythological beings are alive? And the Aztec and Mayan gods? Luke always said it was a possibility."

"Lydia I don't know—"

"Jason appearing in our camp and knowing nothing. Percy disappearing. Hera sending you to the Grand Canyon. Jason HAD to be connected to Percy, right? What if there are two camps and they switched them or something? Like a parent trap but for the camps?"

"I-I want to respect your theory but that is SO far fetched. We'd know if—"

Piper's line went dead, and Annabeth flinched.

"No luck?" She asked.

Piper said nothing and handed her the phone back. Annabeth glanced down at it. "Your last name is McLean? Sorry, it's not my business. But that sounds really familiar."

"Common name," Piper muttered.

"Yeah, I guess. What does your dad do?"

"He's got a degree in the arts. He's a Cherokee artist."

"Oh," Annabeth said. I could tell she wasn't convinced. "You feeling okay? Want to keep going?"

"Sure," Piper said, fastening her new dagger to her belt. "I want to see everything."

Annabeth looked sideways at me. "We'll talk with Chiron later."

"Gotcha." I nodded.

Annabeth began leading Piper around the other cabins.

"Artemis?" She guessed as we passed Cabin Eight.

"You know Greek mythology," Annabeth noticed.

"I did some reading when my dad was working on a project last year," Piper said.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "I thought he did Cherokee art."

Piper looked startled, and almost embarrassed. "Oh, right. But— you know, he does over stuff too."

When Annabeth moved slightly ahead, I leaned closer to Piper.

"Piper McLean. You're Tristan McLean's kid, aren't you?"

She turned red. "U-Uh yeah."

"Cool," I said, shrugging. "Sorry, I don't particularly enjoy his movies, no offense. Too dramatic. My mom likes them though. Says he reminds her of my father because he's so brave. I don't even know how she remembers him but I digress... That's the only reason I know who he is."

Piper's face was beet red. "Oh... nice."

"I won't say anything," I said. "Promise."

Piper looked relieved. "Thank you..."

I patted her shoulder.

"Anyway," Annabeth said, like she'd only just remembered she was giving a tour. "Er— Artemis is the goddess of the moon and hunting. No campers, since she was an eternal maiden."

"Oh," Piper said, looking bummed out.

"Well there ARE the Hunters of Artemis," I said. "They visit sometimes. They're not children of Artemis but they're her handmaidens— this band of immortal teenage girls who adventure together and hunt monsters and stuff."

Piper perked up. "That sounds cool. They get to be immortal?"

"Unless they die in combat or break their vows," I said. "They have to swear off boys. Actually no— they have to swear off romance in general. They can't date girls either. No dating— ever. For eternity. I think you can guess why I didn't join up."

"You wouldn't get to have your girlfriend from the cave," Piper said. "I don't want to join either now."

Annabeth and I laughed. "Aw," I said. "I love her, can we keep her forever?"

Piper blushed and then frowned slightly, as if not many people ever showed her friendship.

We passed the next cabin, which reeked of perfume and looked like a Barbie dream house.

"Gah— is that where supermodels go to die?" Piper asked.

Annabeth smirked. "Aphrodite's cabin. Goddess of love. Drew is the head counselor."

"Figures," Piper grumbled.

"They're not all bad," I said. "That last head counselor was great."

"What happened to her?"

Annabeth's expression darkened.

"She... also died," I said quietly. "As you can see, we've lost a lot of people. Especially in the past year."

Piper winced, and Annabeth just looked sad.

"So..." she said when we had nearly finished the tour. "We started with the twelve Olympian gods. Male gods on the left, females on the right. Then awhile ago we added a bunch of new cabins for the other gods who didn't have thrones on Olympus— Hecate, Hades, Iris—"

"LYDIA!"

I whipped around, seeing Will Solace waving me over.

"Oh not now!" I whined. "WHAT?"

"Chiron wants you in the Big House!"

Annabeth looked sideways at me. "I'll finish up the tour. If you can... tell him what you told me."

"Okay," I said. I smiled at Piper. "See you around. I'm hoping we'll be good friends."

She looked almost shocked I'd said it. "I-I'd like that," she said. She smiled a bit.

I waved at Annabeth before jogging away.

I entered the Big House, and saw Jason was looking mildly dazed. Chiron beckoned me over.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Lydia," he said, "do you think... you could heal his memories? Have you ever tried that with someone?"

"No," I said. "Uh... I could try."

"Please do," Chiron said. "Our talk has been... inconclusive."

Jason looked sheepishly at me.

I stepped closer to him, and took his face in my hands, pressing my thumbs on his temples.

I closed my eyes and concentrated.

Through my eyelids, I could see my hands were glowing.

But that stopped abruptly, and I screamed as I got an enormous electric shock on both my hands.

"AH!" I cried, jumping back as smoke curled off my hands.

"Do not mess with this matter, Lydia Castellan," the familiar voice of Hera said. "You will understand soon. Do not try this again."

Both Chiron and Jason were looking at me strangely.

"That... is not going to work," I mumbled, staring at my hands.

Chiron was about to say something when the front door opened, and Annabeth and Rachel burst in, carrying an unconscious Piper.

"What happened?" Jason yelled. "What's wrong with her?"

"Hera's cabin," Annabeth gasped, like they'd rush all the way. "Vision. Bad."

Rachel looked up and gulped. "I think... I think I may have killed her."


	30. I Get Another Dam Quest

Jason rushed forward and singlehandedly carried Piper to the couch while Annabeth rushed to get me the med kit.

I grabbed it as soon as she gave it to me and examined her, even checking her eyes beneath her eyelids.

"She seems fine," I said, "but she's in a coma like state. As soon as I recover from helping Jason I'll give her a boost."

Jason looked at me. "You can heal her? You're sure?"

"Yes," I said. "Your case was... different."

Chiron came forward and put his hand on Piper's forehead. He grimaced. "Lydia rest up sufficiently. Her mind is in a fragile state. Rachel, What happened?"

"I wish I knew," she mumbled. "As soon as I got to camp, I had a premonition about Hera's cabin. I went inside. Annabeth and Piper came in while I was there. We talked, and then— I just blanked out. Annabeth said I spoke in a different voice."

"A prophecy?" Chiron asked.

"No. The spirit of Delphi comes from within. I know how that feels. This was like long distance, a power trying to speak through me."

Annabeth knelt by Piper. "Chiron.... What happened back there— I've never seen anything like it. I've heard Rachel's prophecy voice. This was different. She sounded like an older woman. She grabbed Piper's shoulders and told her—"

"To free her from a prison?" Jason guessed.

Annabeth stared at him. "How... how did you know that?"

Chiron made a three fingered gesture over his heart, like a ward against evil. "Jason, tell them. Lydia— the medicine bag, please."

Jason began to explain a weird vision he'd had of a dark misty woman who claimed to be his patron. Meanwhile, Chiron trickled drops from a vial into Piper's mouth whilst muttering Ancient Greek healing blessings.

"So does that happen often?" Jason asked once he'd finished. "Supernatural phone calls from convicts demanding you bust them out of jail?"

"Hold on," I said. "Your patron. Not your godly parent?"

"No, she said patron. She also said my dad had given her my life."

Annabeth and I looked sideways at each other.

"I've never heard of anything like that before," Annabeth said. "You said the storm spirit on the skywalk— he claimed to be working for some mistress who was giving him orders, right? Could it be this woman you saw, messing with your mind?"

"I don't think so," Jason said. "If she were my enemy, why would she be asking for my help? She's imprisoned. She's worried about some enemy getting more powerful. Something about a king rising from the earth on the solstice—"

I tensed and looked at Chiron. "Not Kronos. Please... please tell me it's not that."

Jason flinched a bit, not understanding why I was so distressed.

"It is not Kronos," Chiron said. "That threat is ended. Lydia, if you could please."

I hesitated.

"I doubt this one will electrocute you," Chiron said reassuringly.

Annabeth frowned. "Electrocute you?"

"I came to try and fix Jason's mind— get him his memories back," I said, looking at me hands. "I got burned— shocked. Hera's voice told me to not mess with it. I guess she didn't want me to try and give him his memories back."

"Oh," Rachel said in a small voice. "Oh dear. The woman was Hera. Of course. Her cabin, her voice. She showed herself to Jason at the same moment and then told Lydia to back off."

"Hera?" Annabeth snarled. "SHE took you over? She did this to Piper?"

"I think Rachel's right," Jason said. "The woman did seem like a goddess. And she wore this— this goatskin cloak. That's the symbol of Juno, isn't it?"

"It is?" Annabeth scowled. "I've never heard that."

Chiron nodded reluctantly. "Of Juno, Hera's Roman aspect, in her most warlike state. The goatskin cloak was a symbol of the Roman soldier."

"So Hera is imprisoned?" Rachel asked. "Who could do that to the queen of the gods?"

Annabeth crossed her arms. "Well, whoever they are, maybe we should thank them. If they can shut up Hera—"

"Gold star for them," I muttered under my breath.

"Annabeth, Lydia," Chiron warned. "She is still one of the Olympians. In many ways she is the glue that holds the gods' family together. If she has truly been imprisoned and is in danger of destruction, this could shake the foundations of the world. It could unravel the stability of Olympus, which is never great even in the best of tomes. And if Hera has asked Jason to help—"

"Fine," Annabeth grumbled. "Well, we know Titans can capture a god, right? Atlas captured Artemis a few years ago. And in the old stories, the gods captured each other in traps all the time. But something worse than a Titan...?"

Jason looked over at Seymour, the leopard head on the wall. "Hera said she'd been trying to break through her prison bonds for a month."

"Which is how long Olympus has been closed," I said. "So the gods must know something bad is going on."

"But why use her energy to send me here?" Jason asked. "She wiped my memory, plopped me into the Wilderness School field trip, and sent Annabeth a dream vision to come pick me up. Why am I so important? Why not just send up an emergency flare to the other gods— let them know where she is so they bust her out."

"The gods need heroes to do their will down here on earth," Rachel said. "That's right, isn't it? Their fates are always intertwined with demigods."

"That's true," Annabeth said, "but Jason's got a point. Why him? Why take his memory?"

"And Piper's involver somehow," Rachel said. "Hera sent her the same message— 'free me.' I think this might have something to do with Percy's disappearing."

Annabeth was silent. I cautiously stepped forward and kneeled before Piper, placing both my hands on her forehead. I concentrated, and a glowing light filled the room.

When the glowing stopped I swayed, and fell back onto my butt. Piper let out a loud sigh, as if she was okay now.

"That took a lot out of me," I mumbled, feeling almost completely drained.

Jason helped me up.

Annabeth fixed her eyes on Chiron. "Why are you so quiet? What is it we're facing?"

The old centaur's face looked like it'd aged ten years in a matter of minutes. The lines around his eyes were deeply etched. "My dear, in this, I cannot help you. I am so sorry."

Annabeth blinked. "You've never... you've never kept information from me— or from Lydia. Even the last great prophecy—"

"I will be in my office," he said with a heavy voice. "Lydia, I would like for you to accompany me. We need to talk. Rachel, will you watch the girl? Call Argus to bring her to the infirmary, if you'd like. And Annabeth, you should speak with Jason. Tell him about— about the Greek and Roman gods."

"What?" Annabeth cried. "Why Lydia— and why not me?"

"She is eighteen, Annabeth. There are certain things I can say to her that I cannot say to you."

She looked at me, and she seemed jealous.

Chiron turned his wheelchair and rolled off down the hallway. Annabeth's eyes turned stormy as I followed Chiron.

"So what, me being eighteen means I'm entitled to more information?" I muttered as we entered his office. I sat on the beanbag chair in the corner.

"No," he said, closing the door. "Not exactly. But there is a sort of loophole. I know you have theories. I can see how your eyes were darting around, piecing things together. My oath roughly states I must not tell any demigod what is happening at Olympus because they will not understand. However, if your theories match up, it's not me telling you anything, is it? You're old enough to handle it. Additionally... Annabeth is in a very emotional state. You have recovered well, by now. She is still in distress because of Percy."

"I feel bad," I mumbled. "I'm not as distressed."

"Why do you feel like that?"

"Because I just have a feeling. A feeling that Percy is fine."

"Why do you say that?"

"It can't be a coincidence, can it?" I said. "Jason appearing while Percy disappears. Percy and the rest of us being from a Greek camp with Greek gods and Greek problems. Remember how the titan fortress at Mount Othrys was destroyed? And we don't know how? Kronos had said he'd had his brother Krios there. And when we went to check, Krios was gone and the place was just destroyed. Now Jason, comes with SPQR and tattoos that I'm 99.99% certain are Roman. Him knowing the Roman names for the gods. Chiron, I think there's another camp somewhere in the United States, and it's specifically for Roman demigods."

I took a deep breath. "Hera sent Annabeth to the Grand Canyon for a reason. Jason came back, which means he has something to do with Percy. I'm almost entirely certain that Hera switched them places. Because I can sense a big threat after all that talk now. Something worse than Titans? My guess is giants. They've not been a problem yet but now they seem to be because this is MAJOR. I think Hera might've switched them so the Camps would meet."

Chiron nodded slowly, looking very impressed. "Well, I can safely say you are not wrong."

My lip twitched. "Annabeth said it was too far fetched."

"Annabeth as always been slightly more narrow minded, as brilliant as she is. Lydia... this is indeed what is happening."

I threw my arms into the air. "Just great. Would it be too cocky of me to assume I'll be one of the eight in THIS stupid prophecy?"

Chiron laughed, then stopped. "I'm sorry, that's not supposed to be funny."

"It kind of was though, I was trying to liven the mood."

He rubbed his forehead. "I am... not entirely sure but I would assume you would be a vital part of it."

"Great," I said bitterly. "What's it going to take from me this time? Maybe Percy and Annabeth will die, or worse! And Rachel will be left in a coma or something. Maybe the Camp will blow up! Maybe the gods will just kill me outright!"

I didn't realize I'd started crying.

"My dear," Chiron said, "let us not think of that."

"It's impossible not to! I think about it every day! Sure it doesn't hurt the same but I lost... so many friend. My brother. And someone I...."

I couldn't say 'loved.'

"We won't know for certain," Chiron said. "But do not despair. Do not let this get to you."

"I know I have to be strong," I groaned, crossing my arms. "But I don't want to be. I just wanted a normal senior year and now, what? I might not get to graduate if some stupid giant flattens me? Shitty way to die considering what I've had happen to me."

"Lydia," Chiron said gently. "Please, take a deep breath. You have figured out the situation. That is all. Prophecies always have double meanings. It may not end so badly. Try and be optimistic."

I grumbled. "Fine. Maybe Percy and Annabeth will go into senior year together and then college. Maybe the prophecy will end in me becoming a super awesome surgeon or some bullshit. Ha! Maybe I'll fall in love with one of the others. Ugh. Chiron, this is stupid."

"I never said you had to imagine things that would make you want to throw up," he said with a short laugh.

I shrugged. "That's as optimistic as I can get."

He nodded. "Please don't think too much about this. Promise?"

"Alright," I mumbled. "I promise."

"Good. Now, I will see you at the campfire. I have other work to attend to."

__________

I could tell Piper, Jason, and Leo were considering us to be a cult once they heard us doing a sing along while facing the stone lined fire pit.

Leo sat with his siblings from the Hephaestus cabin. Jason sat between Annabeth and I, and Piper was a bit aways with another group of campers.

I could see her making faces as several Apollo kids with lyres jumped around in front of the fire, leading a song about pieces of armor, something about how their grandma got dressed for war.

Usually, Annabeth, Percy, and I acted like absolute fools during sing alongs and made weird gestures.

But this time Annabeth and I simply sat. We were hardly singing, and certainly weren't moving.

Annabeth's jealousy seemed to have cooled down, but now she just looked depressed.

Finally the song ended with a lot of rowdy applause. Chiron trotted up in his centaur form, looking less distressed than he had earlier.

"Very nice!" He said. "And a special welcome to our new arrivals. I am Chiron, camp activities director, and I'm happy you have all arrived here alive and with most of your limbs attached. In a moment, I promise we'll get to the s'mores, but first—"

"What about capture the flag?" Somebody yelled. Grumbling broke out among the Ares kids.

"Yes," Chiron said. "I know the Ares cain is anxious to return to the woods for our regular games."

"And kill people!" One of them shouted.

My siblings 'booed' them, making the kid growl.

"However," Chiron said, "until the dragon is brought under control, that won't be possible. Cabin Nine, anything to report on that?"

Nyssa stood up. "We're working on it."

"How, Nyssa?" One of the Ares kids demanded.

"Really hard."

Nyssa sat down to a lot of yelling and complaining, which caused the fire to sputter chaotically. Chiron stomped his hoof against the fire pit stones and the campers fell silent.

"We will have to be patient," Chiron said. "In the meantime, we have more pressing matters to discuss."

"Percy?" Someone asked. The fire dimmed further, and I sensed a spike in anxiety.

Chiron gestured to Annabeth. She took a deep breath and stood.

"Lydia and I didn't find Percy," she announced. Her voice caught a little when she said his name. "He wasn't at the Grand Canyon like I thought. But we're not going to give up. We've got teams everywhere. Grover, Tyson, Nico, the Hunters of Artemis— everyone's out looking. We will find him. Chiron is talking about something different. A new quest."

"It's the Great Prophecy, isn't it?" Came Drew's voice.

We were all surprised. She never spoke here.

"Drew?" Annabeth asked. "What do you mean?"

"Well come on." Drew spread her hands like the truth was obvious. "Olympus is closed. Percy's disappeared. Hera sends you a vision and you come back with three new demigods in one day. I mean, something weird is going on. The Great Prophecy has started, right?"

Everyone turned to Rachel.

"Well?" Drew called down. "You're the oracle. Has it started or not?"

Rachel's eyes looked scary in the firelight. She stood and stepped forward calmly. "Yes. The Great Prophecy has begun."

Pandemonium broke out, and I noticed a great deal many campers staring at me.

They all knew just as much as I did what the last Great Prophecy did to me.

When the talking finally subsided, Rachel took another step toward the audience. Fifty plus demigods leaned away from her, as if one skinny redheaded mortal was more intimidating than all of them put together.

"For those of you who have not heard it," Rachel said, "the Great Prophecy was my first prediction. It arrived in August. It goes like this: _Eight half bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall_ —"

Jason shot up, his eyes looking wild, as if he'd just been tasered.

Rachel faltered. "J-Jason? What's—"

" _Ut cum spiritu postrema sacramentum dejuremus_ ," he chanted. " _Et hostes ornamenta addent ad ianuam necem_."

An uneasy silence settled on the group. I could see from everyone's faces that several of them were trying desperately to translate the lines.

He'd said the last two lines in Latin.

"You just... finished the prophecy," Rachel stammered. " _An oath to keep with a final breath, And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death_. How did you—?"

"I know those lines." Jason winced and put his hands to his temples. "I don't know how, but I KNOW that prophecy."

"In Latin, no less," Drew called out. "Handsome and smart."

There was giggling from the Aphrodite cabin.

"Okay, then that means he's out of your league," I said loudly.

They immediately shut up. Some of them however looked like they wanted to laugh more.

Piper shot me a grin.

Jason awkwardly sat down. I patted his shoulder. "Hey— it's okay. We'll figure it out."

He nodded, but he still looked pale, and confused.

Rachel still looked a little shaken. She glanced back at Chiron for guidance, but the centaur stood grim and silent, as if he were watching a play he couldn't interrupt— a tragedy that ended with a lot of people dead onstage.

Only I knew what Jason's dilemma was. But I couldn't say anything.

"Well," Rachel said, trying to regain her composure. "So yeah, that's the Great Prophecy. We hoped it might not happen for years, but I fear it's starting now."

More campers looked at me.

"I can't give you proof," Rachel said quietly. "It's just a feeling. And like Drew said, some weird stuff is happening. The eight demigods, whoever they are, have not been gathered yet. I get the feeling some are here tonight. Some are not here."

I sensed Annabeth and I had a part in this. Probably Percy too. And Jason, Leo, and Piper.

Don't ask me how... I just knew.

"Anyway," Rachel continued, "we don't know what the Great Prophecy means. We don't know what challenge the demigods will face, but since the first Great Prophecy predicted the Titan War, we can guess the second Great Prophecy will predict something at least that bad."

"Or worse," Chiron murmured.

I knew it was worse. And I don't think he meant for everyone to overhear, but they did. The campfire immediately turned dark purple.

"What we do know," Rachel said, "is that the first phase has begun. A major problem has arisen, and we need a quest to solve it. Hera, the queen of the gods, has been taken."

Shocked silence. Then fifty demigods started talking at once.

Chiron pounded his hoof again, but Rachel still had to wait before she could get back their attention.

Rachel began to talk about the incident on the Grand Canyon skywalk— how Gleeson Hedge had sacrificed himself when the storm spirits attacked, and the spirits had warned it was only the beginning. They apparently served some great mistress who would destroy all demigods.

Then Rachel told them about Piper passing out in Hera's cabin. Finally, she told them about Jason's vision in the living room of the Big House.

"Jason," Rachel said. "Um... do you remember your last name?"

Jason looked self conscious, but he shook his head.

"We'll just call you Jason then," Rachel decided. "It's clear Hera herself has issued you a quest."

Thank the gods this didn't fall on me. I'd have time to relax before having to participate in the next Great Prophecy.

Rachel paused, as if giving Jason a chance to protest his destiny. Everyone's eyes were on him.

He set his jaw and nodded. "I agree."

"You must save Hera to prevent a great evil," Rachel said. "Some sort of king from rising. For reasons we don't yet understand, it must happen by the winter solstice, only four days from now."

"That's the council day of the gods," Annabeth said. "If the gods don't already know Hera's gone, they will definitely notice her absence by then. They'll probably break out fighting, accusing each other of taking her. That's what they usually do."

"The winter solstice," Chiron spoke up, "is also the time of greatest darkness. The gods gather that day, as mortals always have, because there is strength in numbers. The solstice is a day when evil magic is strong. Ancient magic, older than the gods. It is the day when things... stir."

The way he said it, stirring sounded absolutely sinister— like it should be a first degree felony, not something you did to cookie dough.

"Okay," I said, nodding for Chiron to stop. "Thank you Chiron. Whatever's going on, I agree with Rachel. Jason's been chosen to lead this quest, so—"

"Why hasn't he been claimed?" Somebody yelled from the Ares cabin. "If he's so important—"

"He has been claimed," Chiron announced. "Long ago. Jason, give them a demonstration."

At first, Jason didn't seem to understand. He stepped forward nervously. He glanced at Piper, and I noticed she nodded encouragingly. She mimicked flipping a coin.

Jason reached into his pocket. A coin flashed in the air, and when he caught it in his hand, he was holding a lance— a rod of gold about seven feet long, with a spear tip at one end.

The other demigods gasped. I noticed Annabeth stepped back beside me, but I just stared in rapt fascination.

"Wasn't that..." Annabeth hesitated. "I thought you had a sword."

"Um, it came up tails, I think," Jason said. "Same coin, longer-range weapon form."

"Dude, I want one!" Yelled someone from Ares.

"Better than Clarisse's electric spear, Lamer!" Another agreed.

I was glad Clarisse and Chris were away at university. Otherwise he might've had to stop her from punching her own brother's face.

"Electric," Jason mumbled, like it was a good idea. "Back away."

I didn't need to be told twice.

Jason raised his javelin, and thunder broke open the sky. Every hair on my arms stood straight up. Lightning arced straight down through the golden spear point and hit the campfire with the force of an artillery shell.

When the smoke cleared, and the ringing in everyone's ears had subsided, the entire camp sat frozen in shock, half blind, covered in ashes, staring at the place where the fire had been. Centers rained down everywhere. A burning log had impaled itself a few inches from the sleeping kid Clovis, a son of Morpheus who hadn't even stirred.

Jason lowered his lance. "Um... sorry."

Chiron brushed some burning coals out of his beard. He grimaced, as if his worst fears had been confirmed. "A little overkill, perhaps, but you've made your point. And I believe we know who your father is."

"Jupiter," Jason said. "I mean Zeus. Lord of the Sky."

The campers stirred uncertainly. Even Annabeth looked like she was conflicted.

"Hold it!" She said. "How can he be a son of Zeus? The Big Three... their pact not to have mortal kids... how could we not have known about him sooner."

Chiron didn't answer. He definitely knew.

And suddenly, I realized I did too.

I remember when Luke and Thalia had come to rescue me from my mother— before we met Annabeth. Luke had off to the side mentioned Thalia had lost a little brother, so I should make sure not to make comments. He never told me his name. I don't think he knew.

And based on my other theories and the fact Zeus was the first to break that pact...

I sensed Jason could in fact be Thalia's long lost little brother.

I dunno, think of it. Twelve lines. Jason's fifteen or sixteen. He'd have been like two when he disappeared, according to Luke. Maybe he hadn't arrived to the camp right away. They'd mentioned Hera being Jason's patron.

Somehow I sense Hera had taken him as a baby for one reason to another. And perhaps that's why he grew up in the possibly existing Roman camp.

Rachel dodged Annabeth's question. "The important thing is that Jason's here now. He has a quest to fulfill, which means he will need his own prophecy."

She closed her eyes and swooned. Two campers rushed forward and caught her. A third ran to the side of the amphitheater and grabbed a bronze three legged stool.

They eased Rachel onto the stool in front of the ruined hearth. Without the fire, the night was dark, but green mist started swirling around Rachel's feet. When she open her eyes, they were glowing. Emerald smoke issued from her mouth. The voice that came out was raspy and ancient— the sound a snake would make it could talk:

" _Daughter of thieves forget what was lost,_

_Lest it hold you back to lead at all costs._

_Child of lighting, beware the earth,_

_The giant's revenge the seven shall birth._

_The forge and dove shall break the cage,_

_And death unleash through Hera's rage_."

On the last word, Rachel collapsed, but her helpers were waiting to catch her. They carried her away from the hearth and laid her in the corner to rest.

I swayed on the spot.

Daughter of Hermes.

I didn't think it could possibly mean the only other two daughters of Hermes, twin girls named Vanessa and Veronica.

Annabeth looked at me.

"Is that normal?" Piper asked uncertainly. "I mean... does she spew green smoke a lot?"

"Gods, you're dense!" Drew sneered. "She just issued a prophecy— Jason's prophecy to save Hera! Why don't you just—"

"Drew," Annabeth snapped. "Piper asked a fair question. Something about that prophecy definitely isn't normal. If breaking Hera's cage unleashes her rage and causes a bunch of death... Why would we free her? It might be a trap, or maybe Hara will turn on her rescuers. She's never been kind to heroes."

She swallowed hard. "As for it being Jason's quest... It doesn't seem like it. The prophecy mentioned a daughter of Hermes and Jason individually. I think... It means that two people are leading this quest. And I think it means—"

"Me," I said hoarsely, trying to sit up straight. "Another damn quest."

The campers had mixed emotions as they looked at me. The majority looked at me pitifully, some with jealousy, and some newer ones plus Piper, Leo, and Jason, just looked confused.

Jason rose. "I don't have much choice. Heretic my memory. I need it back. Besides, we can't just not help the queen of the heavens if she's in trouble. And... I'm sort of glad Lydia will be coming. She's experienced."

I winced. "Uh.. yeah. But we can't disregard what Annabeth mentioned. Hera can be vengeful."

"No kidding," Nyssa mumbled. "She threw her own son— our dad— down a mountain just because he was ugly."

"Real ugly," someone snickered from Aphrodite.

"Shut up!" Nyssa growled. "Anyways, we've also got to think— why beware the earth? And what's the giant's revenge? What are we dealing with here that's powerful enough to kidnap the queen of the heavens?"

None one answered. I looked over at Chiron, and he shook his head, as if urging me not to discuss it further.

Annabeth took a deep breath. "It's Jason and Lydia's quest. So it's their choice. Obviously he's the child of lightning and she the daughter of Hermes. They may choose any two companions."

"Well you, obviously, Annabeth," Travis piped up. "You and Lydia have the most experience. That's a power team right there."

"No, Travis," Annabeth said. "Every time I've tried, Hera's deceived me, or it's come back to bite me later. Forger it. No way. Secondly, I'm leaving first thing in the morning to find Percy."

"It's connected," Piper blurted out. "You know that's true, don't you? This whole business, your boyfriend's disappearance— it's all connected."

"How?" Drew demanded. "If you're so smart, how?"

Piper faltered, and I jumped in.

"I also believe it is connected," I said. "But even if Annabeth wasn't looking for Percy, she couldn't go. The prophecy says whoever Jason and I pick— plus they mention a forge and a dove. One child of Hephaestus and one of Aphrodite."

Nyssa's shoulders slumped. "If you have to beware the earth, you should avoid traveling overland. You'll need air transport."

"She's right," I said. "The flying chariot is broken and the pegasi are being used to search for Percy. Whoever the Hephaestus kid is can help me make something... but I dunno."

Leo suddenly stood up. "It's me."

His cabin mates stirred. Several tried to pull him back to his seat, but Leo resisted.

"No, it's me," he said. "I know it is. I've got an idea for the transportation problem. Let me try. I can fix this!"

I looked at Jason and we both nodded.

"We started this together, Leo," Jason said. "Seems only right you come along."

"If you manage to find us a ride, you're in," I said. "And I can help."

"You know mechanics?" He asked.

"Quite a bit. I worked with Hephaestus kids a lot in the past."

"Yes!" He pumped his fist. "Great— well— I'll let you know!"

Nyssa grimaced at his excitement. "It'll be dangerous. Hardship, monsters, terrible suffering. Possibly none of you will come back alive."

I laughed wryly and looked at Jason and Leo. "Geez I forgot to tell you guys that. Lots of issues. Lots of injuries. I'm used to it, but I don't think you guys are."

I knew Jason must be, but I had to play it off like I didn't know about his situation.

"Oh." Suddenly Leo didn't look so excited. Then he remembered everyone was watching. "I mean... Oh, cool! Suffering? I love suffering! Let's do this."

I nodded. "Okay, Jason, we need one more. The dove—"

"Oh absolutely!" Drew was on her feet and flashing Jason a smile. "I am totally yours."

Piper stepped forward. "No."

Drew rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, dumpster girl. Back off."

"I had a vision of Hera; not you. I have to do this."

"Anyone can have a vision," Drew said. "You were just at the right place at the right time." She turned to Jason. "Look, fighting is all fine, I suppose. And people who build things..." She looked at Leo with disdain. "Well, I suppose someone has to get their hands dirty." Lastly she looked to me. "And you... you're a good leader. And an even more excellent sword fighter."

I could tell she was trying to suck up.

"But you need charm on your side," she continued. "I can be very persuasive. I could help a lot."

I felt her words were convincing, and suddenly frowned. "You're charmspeaking us now. That's dirty."

Drew looked taken aback. "But the prophecy says—"

"I don't care. I want Piper. And I think Jason would agree."

"Oh come on!" Drew cried. "What can Piper do?"

I was about to snap, but Piper held her hand up.

However, even she said nothing.

"Well," Drew said smugly. "I guess that settles it."

Suddenly there was a collective gasp, and Piper glowed pink, now suddenly dressed in a gorgeous white v-neck dress, her hair braided with gold ribbons.

"What?" She demanded. She looked down and gasped. "Oh god— what happened?"

She drew Katoptris and looked at herself.

"Beautiful," Jason exclaimed. "Piper, you... you're a knockout."

"No!" Drew screamed. "Not possible!"

I pumped my fist in the air. "Hell yeah! Piper's coming on the quest."

Chiron gave me a sharp look followed by a very slight smirk as he bowed. We followed his lead.

"Hail, Piper McLean, Daughter of Aphrodite, lady of the doves, goddess of love."

When I stood up, clapping happily, I noticed Leo dart out.

People had begun to disperse, so I decided there was nothing left to discuss.

I darted after Leo.


	31. Leo and I Meet a New Friend

I wasn't exactly sneaking behind Leo.

I mean, I wasn't making my presence known outright, which might count as sneaking, but I was also crunching leaves left and right. Not really concerned about being quiet.

He didn't seem to notice. Either he heard and didn't care or he was just dazed.

"Hera," Leo muttered suddenly, making me freeze, "you're not even here, are you? You're in a cage somewhere."

I said nothing, and just looked at him.

He looked... really distressed.

There was a pause.

"Believe me, Lady," he said. "I remember. And whoever you are, I'm going to face-plant you hard, Leo style."

He then seemed to finally sense someone was behind him.

He turned, and jumped. I could see his cheeks turning red. "U-Uh— hi— did you— hear that?"

"Yeah," I said. "But I'm not judging you. I-I'm sorry for following you... you just left so suddenly I got worried."

He looked almost shocked I claimed to be worried about him of all people.

"Oh," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "Well um..."

"I can leave," I said quickly. "If you—"

"No— don't," he said. "I'm going to look for our ride now— and I'm certain if you ARE a mechanic, I'll be needing your help. Um... No offense, you don't seem the type."

I laughed. "I'm not. But... among my many random powers I have this thing— not sure what to call it. But I can look into things— like that tree. I can see its insides. And cars. I can see the mechanics inside— and understand how it works. When I found out I tried to learn more about it all."

Leo immediately draped his hands over his groin. "You have X-ray vision?" He squeaked.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not a child predator, Leo."

"Hey! I'm not a 'child.' Just cause you're eighteen doesn't mean anything."

I laughed. "Alright. And er— sort of? I dunno if I'd specifically call it X-ray vision. I can do it on humans but it takes a little more concentration. Plus it's not necessary for the most part."

He sighed in relief. "Oh. Okay. So er— how well can you keep secrets?"

"Really well. Why?"

He looked around, as if he wanted to be certain he wouldn't be seen by anyone in the cabins.

He then reached out his hand, and flames appeared over it.

I jumped back, watching the flames dance across his fingertips, casting enough light so we could see.

He then abruptly stopped. "N-No one knows yet. I-I think it's a curse." He paused. "But something tells me I can trust you."

I grabbed his hand, and touched his palm. "Fascinating...."

He flinched. "You're not... scared?"

"No! Of course not," I breathed. "I was scared at first, but this— you can control this. It's incredible."

Leo half smiled. "Well... I'm not exactly sure about controlling it. I'll tell you on the way."

"On the way to what?"

"You know about the metal dragon, right?"

"Jake vaguely mentioned it, yes. I told them not to hunt it."

Leo blinked. "You told them not to?"

"Yeah," I said. "Beckendorf told me about it awhile ago— something he didn't tell the others. He thought we should catch the dragon and study it, not destroy it. We could make it a friend."

Leo looked pleased to hear this. "Good... good. Then... just look for dragon-type clues. Any giant footprints, trampled trees, swaths of burning forest. I'm assuming something this big can't exactly sneak around."

"Alright," I said. "Let's go."

As we walked through the forest, searching for any indication of the dragon's presence, Leo told me about Hera coming to care for him as someone named 'Tia Callida' and her constantly putting him in danger to prepare him for being a hero. He told me about his mother, and how she'd died when he had set a mechanic shop on fire trying to stop a woman— which I'm certain may have been Gaea— from hurting her. He told me about living in and out of foster homes, and how his family had not wanted him, and how he'd finally arrived at the Wilderness School.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "That's awful."

He nodded grimly, and I patted his shoulder.

He was about to say something, when he froze.

"Trap," he said, pointing at a hundred foot wide crater ringed with boulders at the bottom of the clearing.

"Oh wow," I mumbled. In the center of the depression, a metal vat the size of a hot tub had been filled with bubbly dark liquid— Tabasco sauce and motor oil. Over the vat, an electric fan spread the fumes through the forest.

Leo stepped forward but I put my hand over his chest, holding him back.

"What?" He said.

"There's a net," I said. I concentrated and waved my hand, so the holographic image I could see of the trap's structure appeared to Leo. He gasped, now able to see the net.

"It's pressure sensitive," Leo said, stepping forward and pressing his foot on the net. "See? It won't trap us— just something really heavy."

He walked closer to the vat, and I followed. There, the fumes were overpowering, and I had to resist the urge to cough like a maniac.

"What if the dragon already got stuck in another trap?" I asked quietly. "Can we disable them, if we find them?"

Leo shook his head as he wove around the trap. "I don't think there's a way to turn this off. So I think if we found others, the same might be—"

There was a tremor— a deep sort of rumbling you hear in your guts rather than your ears. I froze, but Leo kept looking through the trap, apparently still looking for an off button.

There was a sudden grinding snort, like steam forced out of a metal barrel.

"Um, Leo?" I said in a small voice.

"What?" He turned, and then faltered when he looked to where I was facing.

At the edge of the pit, fifty feet away, two glowing red eyes were staring at us.

The creature was staring right at Leo's hand, where he had re-summoned the flames to examine the trap. Leo quickly extinguished them, but we could still see the dragon perfectly fine.

It had to be sixty feet long, with claws the size of butcher knives, and its mouth was lined with hundreds of dagger sharp metal teeth. Steam billowed from its nostrils. It snarled like a chain saw cutting through a tree.

"You don't have wings," Leo said, staring at the dragon in rapt fascination.

The dragon's snarl died. It tilted its head as if to say ' _why aren't you two running away in terror_?'

"Hey, no offense," Leo said. "You're amazing! Good god, who MADE you? Are you hydraulic or nuclear powered or what? But if it was me, I would've put wings on you. What kind of dragon doesn't have wings? I guess maybe you're too heavy to fly? I should've thought of that."

The dragon snorted, and I now that I was calm, I understood it to say " _What are you talking about?"_

" _Just listen_ ," I said, holding my hands up in surrender. " _We want to help you!"_

"You speak dragon?" Leo said.

The dragon seemed confused at what I'd said, and it took a step forward.

"NO!" Leo and I shouted.

The dragon snarled. " _What are you two talking about?"_

" _It's a trap_!" I said desperately. " _They're trying to catch you!"_

The dragon opened its mouth and I saw the fire begin to form at the back of his throat.

Leo pushed me to the side, making me fall safely under a bush as a column of white-hot flames billowed over Leo. I screamed, but he didn't.

When the flames died, he was perfectly fine. He wasn't burned and he was still completely clothed.

"Holy shit," I whispered. "That is AWESOME."

"Thanks," Leo said, looking all over his arms for any sign of a burn. I suppose he was surprised too.

The dragon stared at us curiously, as if unable to understand why Leo and I were both still alive.

"You can't burn me," Leo said firmly. "Stay, boy. Don't come any closer. I don't want you to get caught. See, they think you're broken and have to be scrapped. But I don't believe that. I can fix you if you'll let me—"

The dragon creaked, roared unintelligibly, and charged.

The trap sprung.

Leo and I were knocked off our feet as the net sprang up. Dirt, leaves, Tabasco sauce, and oil flew everywhere.

I luckily ended up off to the side, absolutely filthy. Leo however was sandwiched between the vat and the dragon as it tried desperately to free itself.

" _HEY_!" I yelled as the dragon blew flames in every direction, lighting up the sky and setting trees on fire. " _STOP MOVING_!"

The dragon stopped momentarily, giving Leo the chance to wriggle out from between the dragon and the vat, and through the net's holes up to the dragon's head.

"Listen man," Leo said, finally sitting on top of its head, "you're just going to show them where you are. Then they'll come and break out the acid and the metal cutters. Is that what you want?"

The dragon remained still, as if it understood.

" _Good boy_ ," I said softly, rubbing my arms so the hairs on them would stop standing up.

"Okay then," Leo said pleasantly. "Let's get to work. Lydia— can you do the X-ray thing and find the control panel?"

I waved my hand over the dragon, and the holographic image of its insides appeared.

"Magnificent," I mumbled. "You're sitting right above it— it's about two feet down the neck, with a small button to activate it. Should be round and smooth over the top."

Leo nodded and crawled down to it. It was clear he opted for keeping the dragon in the net because it'd be easier to work, but the dragon didn't like it.

"Hold still!" He scolded as he opened the control panel and dug his hands inside.

The dragon whimpered and I cautiously stepped forward, patting its side.

" _It's okay, buddy_ ," I whispered. " _You'll be okay."_

From the corner of my eye I saw a dryad watching us as she put out the flames in her branches. She made a gesture that was probably very rude in dryad and disappeared in a green poof of mist.

"She's nice," Leo mumbled. "Hey— can you climb up here?"

I didn't answer and simply wiggled through the net and up to meet Leo.

"Hey, you made it!" He said. "I wasn't sure if you'd fit through the holes."

"YOU fit, and we're the same height!"

"I'm scrawny, you're not."

I rolled my eyes and got comfortable beside him, and tied my hair up before digging my hands into the control panel.

"Ha!" He said suddenly. "Well, no wonder."

" _What_?" The dragon and I both asked. It gave me goosebumps that we'd spoken simultaneously, and I flinched so much I almost slid off the neck.

"He's got a corroded control disk," Leo explained. "It probably regulates his higher reasoning circuits, right? Rusty brain, man. No wonder you're a little... confused."

"Dragon brains," I mumbled. "Not like human brains."

"What, you prefer human brains?"

"I do, actually."

Leo smirked, the frowned. "Damn. I wish I had replacement disk, but... this is a complicated piece of circuitry. I'm going to have to take it out and clean it. Only be a minute."

He pulled out the disk, and the dragon went absolutely still. The glow died in his eyes.

"While I clean this, try and make proper space for it," Leo said. "I'm assuming you know how this goes?"

"Well this is modeled after a human spine," I said, peering into the control panel. "I know that like the back of my hand. I'll fix this up."

Leo nodded and we both set to work.

We both seemed to have the same thought. We didn't know how long the dragon's control disk could be off without damaging it.

I rearranged the interior as much as I could, fixing some loose wires and re-fastening some gears.

Leo cursed quietly. "Some of these circuits are beyond repair. I can make this better but not perfect. I need a completely new disk and I have no idea how to build one."

"Do you think those exist anywhere?" I asked. "I could just steal one from somewhere."

He looked shocked I'd even suggested it, but then relaxed as he seemed to remember who my father was.

He simply shook his head and kept cleaning.

"Clean hands, dirty equipment," he muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just something my mom used to say. We're both covered in grease."

"Yeah," I said, looking at my clothes. "We'll both need a shower before we head out."

Leo scooted closer and held the disk over the panel. "Jeez, you ARE good at this. You really organized this."

"Thanks," I said as he popped the disk back in and connected the last wire. The dragon shuddered and its eyes began to glow.

"Better?" Leo asked.

The dragon made a sound like a high speed drill, opening its mouth to show its teeth rotated. It sounded like he said " _Much better_."

"That's a yes," I chirped.

"Good," Leo said. "Now we'll free you."

It took us about half an hour to find the release clamps for the net and untangle the dragon, since we discovered that Slasher unfortunately couldn't cut through this net.

The dragon was finally able to stand, and shook the last bit of netting off its back. It roared triumphantly and shot fire at the sky.

"Seriously?" Leo said. "Could you not show off?"

" _Why not_?" The dragon asked.

"We're peasants compared to you," I said, patting its side.

"You need a name," Leo decided. "I'm calling you Festus."

The dragon grinned, and cooed a quiet " _Nice_."

"He likes it," I said happily.

"Cool," Leo said. "But we still have a problem, because you don't have wings."

Festus tilted his head and snorted steam. Then he lowered his back in an unmistakable gesture.

"Oh," I said. "He wants us to climb on."

"Where are we going?" Leo asked excitedly, not hesitating to climb on. I climbed on behind him, and Festus simply bounded off into the woods.

_________

"Festus... what IS this place?"

The cave was the size of an airplane hangar, with endless worktables and storage cages, rows of garage sized doors along either wall, and staircases that led up to a network of catwalks high above. Equipment was everywhere— hydraulic lifts, welding torches, hazard suits, air spades, forklifts... bulletin boards covered in faded blueprints. Weapons, armor, shields— war supplies all over the place, a lot of them only partially finished.

"Do the other kids know...?" Leo's question died as he asked it. The sign that said 'Bunker 9' was covered in cobwebs and the only footprints were ours.

"I think this has been abandoned for... a really long time," I mumbled, seeing a map dated 1864.

Leo pointed at a sketch of a flying ship with the head of a dragon at the masthead. Scribbled on the side was 'Prophecy? Unclear. Flight?'

"Looks like Festus," he murmured. "That's creepy."

Festus snorted loudly.

"Yes?" I asked, turning to him.

He nudged something towards Leo— a leather tool belt. Then he switched on his glowing red eye beams and turned toward the ceiling.

"His wings," I gasped, staring at the shapes hanging above us in the darkness.

"Festus, Lydia," Leo said in a small voice. "We've got a lot of work to do."

I'll be honest. I helped as much as I could.

But I was already exhausted and after awhile could barely stay awake.

"Why are you this tired?" Leo asked a bit worriedly as I slumped over the worktable we'd cleaned.

"I had a test for Med School today," I yawned. "Had to wake up at three in the morning to take it before heading out with Annabeth."

Leo raised his eyebrows.

I began to tell him about my school situation, and how I'd managed to do Medical School with a partial undergrad in pre-med before even graduating high school.

The conversation somehow turned to Luke, and I began ranting about my childhood (which I felt bad about, because it was nowhere near as awful as his) and the past prophecy. I found myself talking about Ethan, and finally about how he and Luke had died.

Leo didn't seem to mind me talking. He listened patiently and seemed to enjoy having something to hear about while he worked.

"So this Ethan guy," he said. "You really loved him."

"I did," I said. "I did..."

"And you don't know where he is now?"

"Nico told me he was reborn a day after I talked to him in the forest. We lost track of him there."

Leo nodded slowly. "I'm sorry. Losing two people you love in the same day... well I know how it feels to lose one."

I nodded sleepily and patted his shoulder. "Thanks for listening."

"No problem. You're cool. Thanks for not labeling me as a freak."

I laughed wryly. "Well we're all freaks here."

He grinned. "You can sleep if you need to. The sun is already rising."

"Nah— might as well stay awake."

"Well, at least go clean up. And tell Jason and Piper I got them a ride."

"And leave you here by yourself?"

"It's okay. I want them to know before I appear with the dragon. Please."

"Alright," I said, sitting up and stretching. "Well—"

"Hey," Leo said, interrupting me. "You said I remind you of your brother, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well... can I be like your brother? And you can be like my sister? I've never had a sibling. And I feel I can talk to you about anything. I trust you."

I smiled. "Of course Leo. I'm glad you feel that way."

He grinned, then waved for me to leave. "Great! Well you know have an annoying younger brother."

"I've HAD annoying younger brothers for awhile."

"Hey!"

"Just saying," I said, waving at him before walking out of the bunker.

I headed straight for my cabin, yawning about a zillion times on the way there.

I must've fallen asleep in the shower because it was way brighter outside when I got out and some of my siblings were starting to wake up.

Once I was dressed and had packed myself some essentials, I headed to Jason's cabin.

I peered inside the window, and saw he was looking at the pictures taped up in Thalia's bunk. I sighed and pushed open the door, surprised he hadn't closed it completely.

He didn't notice me.

I looked over his shoulder and saw he was staring at a particular series of pictures where Luke, Annabeth, Thalia, and I were in a photobooth. Luke was tickling Annabeth and I while Thalia actually posed.

Jason's finger ran over Thalia, and he stared at her intently.

"That's Thalia," I mumbled.

He turned, and looked up at me.

"She was the other child of Zeus who lived here," I continued. "But not for long. Sorry, I should've knocked."

"It's fine," he said. "Not like I think of this place as home. I don't suppose Annabeth's changed her mind about coming with us?"

"Nah," I said. "I doubt it. She needs to find Percy."

He nodded. "I'm glad you're going, don't get me wrong. It'd just be nice to have two highly experienced people."

"It'll be fine," I said, patting his shoulder. "Something tells me this isn't your first quest. We DO have two highly experienced people."

"You know who I am, don't you?" Jason mumbled.

"I have a theory," I said. "It's a bit far fetched but my theories are usually right."

"That's what Annabeth said when she took me to see Clovis. She sounded annoyed that you always manage to figure things out."

I laughed wryly. "Yeah she does get jealous."

Jason lifted his sleeve. "You have a theory on these marks too?"

"I do, yes," I said. "They're Roman. I think you're a son of Jupiter, the Roman form of Zeus. Either way, I can't reveal what I've figured out, because it's miraculously right. I'm sorry."

"I understand," he said quietly. "I um... had a weird dream last night."

"Happens all the time to demigods." I shrugged. "What did you see?"

He told me about some wolves at a wooden house with two rock spires.

I paced nervously. "I'm pretty certain that it means the Wolf House in Glen Ellen, Northern California."

"How did you know that?" He asked.

"I have Google Maps in my head," I mumbled. "The only thing is I've never heard of this Lupa. I don't know who she is."

"She said the enemy was a 'her.' I thought maybe it was Hera, but—"

"No," I said. "It's not Hera. I think I'm certain who it is. We have to stop it— this, that's happening."

"You know who it is, then?" He asked. "Chiron and you are the only ones who truly know."

I nodded slowly. "I think so. It's a lot of information. Gives me goosebumps. I wish I didn't know it— wish I hadn't figured it out."

"That bad, huh?"

"Not if we succeed... at least I hope not."

"Where do we even start?" He asked. "Where do we go?"

"I think we should follow the monsters," I said. "We can find the storm winds by asking a wind god."

"A wind god? Is there more than one?"

I nodded. "Aeolus is master of all the winds, but he's a little... unpredictable. No one finds him unless he wants to be found. I think we should go for one of the four seasonal wind gods that work for him. The one nearest to us is Boreas, the North Wind. And luckily he has the most dealings with heroes."

"So if you looked him up on your Google Maps...?"

"He's not that difficult to find," I said. "He picked the oldest northern settlement, about as far north as you can go."

Jason furrowed his eyebrows. "Maine? No wait— Quebec."

"Exactly," I said. "I speak French. I think Piper might too."

"Why Piper?"

"French is a stupid 'love language' according to Drew's bitchass," I mumbled. "I think Piper should be naturally fluent in it."

Jason nodded. "Alright then. So um... about Thalia. What happened to her?"

"She became a Hunter of Artemis— one of the handmaidens of the goddess," I said. "They roam around the country killing monsters. We don't see them at camp very often."

"Who's the other kid in the photo?" He asked. "The sandy haired guy? His eyes are exactly like yours."

I smiled and touched the picture. "That's Luke. My older brother."

"What happened to him?" Jason asked.

"He died," I said softly. "He um... well he joined the titan Kronos. Created problems for us. Nearly killed my friends and I a few times. Gave me a few wicked scars. Eventually he realized what was right. He sacrificed himself to stop Kronos from rising."

"I'm sorry," Jason said. "I really am." He tried to change the subject. "How old is Thalia now?"

"Hard to say. She was a tree for awhile, and now she's immortal. Hmm... if she aged regularly she'd be in her twenties now, but he still looks the same as in the picture like she's about... well your age. Fifteen, I believe. She accepted immortality the day before her sixteenth birthday."

Jason nodded. "What's her last name?"

"She didn't use a last name," I noted. "If she had to, she'd use her mom's, but they didn't get along. She ran away when she was a little older then me. Grace. Thalia Grace."

Jason swayed on the spot, and turned pale.

"Jason?" I asked. "What is it?"

"You have to swear not to tell anyone else," he said frantically.

"Okay," I said, holding up my hands in surrender. "I swear on the River Styx. You can trust me."

He nodded and bit his lip. "My last name is Grace. This is my sister."

My chest tightened. "I-I know."

"You know?"

"Yes... I wasn't entirely sure but I... I know now. You're her baby brother."

He looked like he might be sick. Just before he spoke, Butch ran in.

"Hurry!" He yelled. "The dragon is back!"

Crap. I'd forgotten to tell Jason and Piper about that.


	32. We Meet An Evil Elsa

When we ran out, we saw Leo sitting atop the enormous dragon, grinning like a lunatic.

However, even before he landed, the camp alarm went up. All the satyrs started screaming, "don't kill me!" Half the camp ran outside in a mixture of pajamas and armor. The dragon set down right in the middle of the green and Leo yelled, "it's cool! Don't shoot!"

Piper ran to stand beside Jason and I.

"That's our ride," I said breathlessly, my eyes probably shimmering as I looked at the dragon. It was so majestic.

"What?" Jason said. "That thing?"

"Yes, that's what I was coming to tell you. We fixed it! Well, mostly Leo."

The nearby archers who heard this lowered their bows. The others followed suit and the warriors backed away, keeping their spears and swords ready. They made a loose wide ring around the metal monster. Other demigods his behind their cabin doors or peeped out the windows. Nobody seemed anxious to get close.

"It's beautiful," Piper muttered. I beamed, but other demigods stared at her like she was insane.

Festus reared his head and shot a column of fore into the sky. Campers scrambled away and hefted their weapons.

" _HEY_!" I yelled. " _Stop doing that, we're trying to make you look admirable!"_

Festus gave a soft creak that I took as a bitter " _Fine_."

Leo slid calmly off his back and held his hands up in surrender. He still had a crazy grin on his face.

"People of Earth, I come in peace!" He shouted. He was still covered in oil and dirt and still smelled like soot— his hair covered in Tabasco sauce. "Festus is just saying hello!"

"That thing is dangerous!" One of Clarisse's half sisters yelled. "Kill it now!"

"STAND DOWN!" Jason and I yelled at the same time.

"The dragon is not dangerous!" I said, marching forward and pushing the Ares campers back. "Stop trying to kill it!"

Nyssa stepped up. She clearly seemed like she was going to say something but nothing came out.

Leo held his hands up in triumph. "Jason said I could go on the quest if I got them a ride," he told her. He looked at Jason "I got you a Class-A metallic flying bad boy! Festus can take us anywhere!"

"It— has wings," Nyssa managed, her jaw looking like it might drop of her face.

"Yeah!" Leo said. "We found them and reattached them!"

"We?" She spluttered.

"Yeah, me and Lydia!" Leo said.

I half smiled at Nyssa, who was still in shock.

"But it never had wings. Where did you find them?"

"Deep in the woods," I said quickly. "Festus led us right to them when he found out we were nice."

"We repaired his circuits too," Leo said, looking gratefully at me. "Mostly. So, no more problems with him going haywire."

Festus's head twitched. It tilted it to one side and a stream of oil poured out. I yelped and jumped out of the way, leaving it to splatter Leo.

He didn't seem to mind.

"Just a few kinks to work out," Leo said happily.

"But how did you survive....? I mean the fire breath..."

"We ran like maniacs, naturally," I said immediately. "I sort of managed to convince it not to blow fire. It still did just not at us. Thankfully."

"Now," Leo said, smiling at me. "Am I on this quest or what?"

"Duh," I said.

Jason scratched his head. "You named him Festus? You know that in Latin, 'festus' means 'happy'? You want us to ride off and save the world on Happy the Dragon?"

Festus trilled anxiously and flapped his wings. " _Can we go now? Please_?"

" _Soon, buddy_ ," I said. "And yes Jason we're aware. Festus is anxious, we should go."

"I've already picked up supplies," Leo offered.

Jason looked at me. "Well we haven't planned anything yet. We can't just—"

"We have to go," I said, looking around for Annabeth. My heart dropped seeing she'd already left. I half smiled. "We never had a plan for anything we did. Not really. We have three days until the solstice and we shouldn't keep a nervous dragon waiting. Come on."

Jason nodded and smiled to Piper. "You ready, partner?"

Aw. This was Percabeth part two. And that made my heart ache.

"You bet," Piper said.

_________

I've done many exciting things.

I've flown with wings the way Icarus did.

I almost died a billion times.

All gave me a huge rush of adrenaline, yes.

But flying on top of a dragon was the BEST experience ever.

Up high, the air was freezing cold; but the dragon's metal hide generated so much heat, it was like we were flying in a protective bubble. The grooves on Festus's back were like high tech saddles— which was super comfortable.

Leo showed us how to hook our feet in the chinks of the armor, like stirrups, and use the leather safety harnesses he'd discovered concealed under the exterior plating.

We sat single file: Leo in the front, then me, then Piper, and then Jason.

Leo used the reins to steer like the dragon into the sky like he'd been doing it all his life. The metal wings worked perfectly, and soon the coast of Long Island was just a hazy line behind us. We shot over Connecticut and climbed into the gray winter clouds.

Leo grinned back at us. "Cool, right?"

"What if we get spotted?" Piper asked.

"The Mist," Jason said. "It keeps mortals from seeing magic things. If they spot us, they'll probably mistake us for a small plane or something."

I raised an eyebrow and clapped. "Very good."

"He's right?" Piper asked.

"Oh you, of little faith—"

"Shut up Lydia, I'm being serious."

"I know," I laughed. "But yes he's right."

Piper glanced back at Jason, and I saw her eyes fixated on the picture he had in his hand of Thalia. She raised her eyebrows and he blushed and tucked the photo away.

"We're making good time," he said. "Probably get there by tonight."

"So, where are we headed?" Piper asked, clearly still wondering who the girl was. It wasn't my place to tell her.

"To find the god of the North Wind, Boreas," I said. "And naturally, chase some storm spirits."

We flew in silence for awhile, and I polished my knives, humming to myself.

I pulled out the phone I had tucked in my pocket, and bit my lip as I stared at the screen.

The cell reception was surprisingly good.

"Hey um... would you guys mind if I called my mom?" I asked quietly.

"Not at all," Piper said.

I dialed the nursing home's number. The line only rang twice before someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Barbara. It's Lydia."

"Oh! Lydia! One moment— let me get to Marie's room. She'll be so excited you called."

"Was she bummed out we couldn't go to London?"

She sighed. "For about ten minutes, yes."

"Good. That's something. Ten constant minutes of remembering."

"Yes. Here she is—" another voice appeared. "Hello?"

"Hey mom," I said, smiling to myself. "It's Lydia."

"Oh! Lydia. My daughter."

"Yes, mom. How are you feeling?"

"Good. I think. Where are you? It's so loud in the background."

"On a quest, mom. I'll be back soon, okay? I promise."

"Alright. Stay safe."

She hung up and I smiled, shaking my head, and tucked my phone away.

"Your mom?" Jason asked.

"Yeah," I said quietly.

"She doesn't get worried you're on a quest?"

"She'll be worried for the next eight minutes. But she'll forget soon enough."

Jason and Piper gave me quizzical looks.

Leo said nothing. At first I assumed because he already knew, but then he said "shut up, me" and I realized he was just a little out of it.

I patted his back. "You should probably sleep."

"Nah," he said, shaking his head. "So— what's the plan? You mentioned a God of Boring?"

"Boreas isn't the god of boring," I said, rolling my eyes.

"We need to find the venti and he's our best chance," Jason said.

"Can we just call them storm spirits?" Leo asked. "Venti makes them sound like evil espresso drinks."

I rolled my eyes. "Maybe the person who created Starbucks was a demigod child of a wind god!"

Leo shrugged.

Jason then explained that once we found out who the storm spirits worked for, we might be able to find Hera and free her.

"So you want us to look for Dylan, the nasty storm dude, on purpose," Leo said. "The guy who threw me off the skywalk and sucked Coach Hedge into the clouds."

"That's about it," I chirped. "Uh— there may be a wolf involved too."

Jason jumped in and told them about his dream regarding the Wolf House.

"Uh huh," Leo said. "Glen Ellen, California? How did you know?"

"Lydia used her mind GPS."

"Please don't call it that."

"There's also giants," Piper added. "The prophecy said the giants' revenge."

"Hold on," Leo said. "Giants— like more than one? Why can't it just be one giant who wants revenge?"

"Cause they're all related," I said. "They form armies out of their own siblings."

"Great," Leo muttered. "Of course, with our luck, it's an army. So you know anything else about giants?"

"Lots of stuff," I said.

"What about you?" He asked Piper. "Didn't you do a bunch of myth research for that movie with your dad?"

"Your dad's an actor?" Jason asked.

Leo laughed. "I keep forgetting about your amnesia. Heh. Forgetting about amnesia. That's funny. But yeah, her dad's Tristan McLean."

"Uh— Sorry, what was he in?"

"Not important," I said, which made Piper smile gratefully. "The point is there are a LOT of giants. The main ones are enormous antigods and they're bad news. Almost impossible to kill. They can literally throw mountains. They're half siblings of the Titans. They rose from the earth when Kronos lost the FIRST Titan War, thousands of years ago, and they tried to destroy Olympus."

"Chiron said it was happening again," Jason recalled. "And... well Lydia you know what it is, right?"

I nodded grimly. "I believe so. But that... that's not something you want to know now."

Leo whistled. "So... giants who can throw mountains. Friendly wolves that will eat us... if we show weakness, you said? Evil espresso drinks. Gotcha. Maybe this isn't the time to bring up my psycho babysitter."

"Is that another joke?" Piper inquired.

Leo went into an explanation of Tia Callida being Hera, and I noticed he didn't discuss his fire abilities or the fact he'd accidentally caused his mother's death. I didn't blame him. I knew it wasn't really his fault, but I also knew he felt like it was.

He then told them about the Gaea figure he'd seen. When he'd told me about her earlier I hadn't brought up the fact I knew who she was. And I didn't bring it up now.

I sensed we flew over Massachusetts when he finished.

"That's disturbing," Piper said.

"Bout sums it up," Leo agreed. "Thing is, everyone says not to trust Hera. She hates demigods. And the prophecy said we'd cause death if we unleash her rage. So I'm wondering... why are we doing this?"

"Hera is... difficult," I said. "She's been difficult for a long time. But she chose us. Clearly we're four of the eight in the Great Prophecy."

"So then this is the start of something much bigger," Jason deduced.

"Exactly," I said.

Leo frowned.

"Besides," Jason continued, "helping Hera is the only way I can get my memory back. And that dark spire in my dream seemed to be feeding on Hera's energy. If that thing unleashes a king of giants by destroying Hera—"

"Not a good trade off," Piper agreed. "At least Hera is on our side— mostly. Losing her would throw the gods into chaos. She's the main one that keeps peace in the family."

"And," I said, wringing my hands together, "a war with the giants WILL be more destructive than the Titan War. And believe me... that destruction is awful in so many ways."

Leo nudged me. "Maybe you should... tell them what you told me."

I sighed, and went into an explanation of everything. And I mean everything.

Leo had already heard it, but he listened the same as I told Piper and Jason every detail about my mother, Luke, Ethan, and the war, and how it'd ended.

"I'm sorry," Jason said. "That's really awful."

"See what I mean?" I said, glad that discussing my life story didn't cause me pain anymore. "If the giants rise through the dark magic circling the solstice, then... that'll be really really bad."

"This mistress... who's controlling the storm spirits, and who wants to kill all the demigods—"

"Might be the weird sleeping lady," Leo finished. "Dirt woman fully awake? Not something I want to see."

"But who is she?" Jason asked. "And what does she have to do with giants?"

I winced. "Well don't take my word for it... but I'm sure she's their mother. Gaea."

I just couldn't keep them in the dark about it.

There was silence as that soaked in. They looked distressed.

"Why don't you two get some sleep?" Piper said. "You were both up all night."

Leo yawned. "You won't... let us fall off?"

Piper patted both our shoulders. "Trust me. Beautiful people never lie."

"Right," Leo muttered. He slumped forward onto the dragon's neck and fell asleep instantly.

"I'm sorry," Jason said again, reaching over to pat my back.

"It's fine," I said with a half smile. "I'm over it."

_________

It felt like I only slept for seconds, but when Piper shook Leo and I awake, I could see the daylight fading.

"We're here," she said.

I rubbed my eyes and looked down at the snowy city. It looked like a small medieval town, and it had a massive red brick walled and square towered castle in the center.

"Tell me that's Quebec and not Santa's workshop," Leo yawned.

My brain tingled and I nodded. "This IS Quebec."

"Yep," Piper said. "One of the oldest cities in North America. Founded around sixteen hundred or so?"

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Your dad do a movie about that too?"

I smacked him and Piper made a face. "I read sometimes, okay? Just because Aphrodite claimed me doesn't mean I have to be an airhead."

"Feisty!" Leo said. "So you know so much, what's that castle?"

"I'm pretty sure that's a hotel," I said, stretching my arms.

"No way," Leo laughed. But then he looked down at the doormen, valets, and porters taking bags below. "Um, okay. The North Wind is staying in a hotel? That can't be—"

"Heads up guys!" Jason interrupted. "We got company."

That's when the angry angels rose from the top of the tower, wielding wicked looking swords.

Festus swooped to a halt and rumbled " _Ice. Melt."_

" _No_ ," I said. " _Calm down. Steady... that's it_."

Festus didn't look pleased.

"I don't like this," Jason mumbled. "They look like storm spirits."

"They do," I said. "But they're not— they can't be. They're too solid."

One of the angels was about the size of an ox, wearing a bright red hockey jersey, baggy sweatpants, and black leather cleats. His eyes were bruised black and he was missing teeth.

The other was the complete opposite. He had long ice white hair styled into a mullet. He had pointy toed leather shoes, tight designer pants, and an Elvis-like shirt. He had horrible acne and he must've weighed less than 90 pounds.

The angels pulled up to us, their swords ready.

"No clearance," the ox-like one grunted.

"'Scuse me?" Leo said.

"You have no flight plan on file," the Elvis one said. "This is restricted air space."

"Destroy them?" Ox grunted.

Festus hissed and blew steam, and Jason and I drew our swords.

"Hold on!" Leo cried, mostly to us. "Let's have some manners here, boys. Can I at least find out who has the honor of destroying me?"

"I am Cal!" Ox grunted.

"That's short for Calais," Elvis said. "Sadly, my brother cannot say words with more than two syllables—"

"Pizza! Hockey! Destroy!" Cal offered.

"—which included his own name."

"I am Cal. This is Zethes! My brother!"

"Wow," Leo said. "That was almost three sentences, man! Way to go."

Cal grunted, obviously pleased with himself.

"Stupid buffoon," Zethes grumbled. "They make fun of you. But no matter. I am Zethes, which is short for Zethes. And these ladies here—" he winked, although it looked like a facial seizure. "They can call me anything they'd like."

"Can I see if that facial twitch is tumor related and make you my patient?" I said, wincing.

He frowned. "Call me Zethes," he decided, which made me crack a grin. He looked at Piper. "Perhaps you would like to have dinner with a famous demigod before we must destroy you?"

Piper sounded like she choked on a grape. "That's... a truly horrifying offer."

"It is no problem," Zethes wiggled his eyebrows. "We are very romantic people, we Boreads."

"Let me guess, Boreads because you're sons of Boreas," I said halfheartedly.

"Ah, so you've heard of us!" He said happily.

"No," I said. "It's just common sense."

Cal snorted but Zethes frowned. "Yes well, we are our father's gatekeepers. So you understand we cannot have unauthorized people flying in his airspace on creaky dragons, scaring the silly mortal peoples. Which is sadly why, unless this is an emergency landing, we will have to destroy you painfully."

"Destroy!" Cal agreed.

"Wait!" Piper said. "This IS an emergency landing."

"Awww," Cal looked super disappointed.

"How does the pretty girl decide this is an emergency, then?" Zethes said.

Leo snickered and nudged me. "He totally ignored you."

"Good. He's ugly too."

"We have to see Boreas. It's totally urgent! Please?" She forced a smile, but with the blessing of Aphrodite and her very convincing statement, she managed to make Zethes falter.

"Well... I hate to disappoint a lovely lady, but you see, my sister, she would have an avalanche if we allowed you—"

"And our dragon is malfunctioning!" Piper added. "It could crash any minute!"

Festus shuddered helpfully and let gunk spill out of his ear, splattering a black Mercedes below.

"No destroy?" Cal whimpered.

Zethes pondered the problem then gave Piper another spasmodic wink.

"Please, dear Jesus, let me take you to get a PET scan," I whined under my breath, which made Leo and Jason snort softly.

Zethes nodded to Piper.

"Well you are pretty," he said dreamily. "I mean— you're right. A malfunctioning dragon— this could be an emergency."

"Destroy them later?" Cal offered.

"It will take some explaining," Zethes decided. "Father has not been kind to visitors lately. But yes. Come faulty dragon people, follow us."

They sheathed their swords and pulled out orange flashlights to steer us in.

"I love these guys," Leo sighed. "Follow them?"

"Do we have a choice?" I mumbled. "All I want to know is why Boreas hasn't been kind to visitors."

"Pffft he just hasn't met us." Leo whistled. "Festus, after those flashlights!"

_________

"Guys, fix the thermostat in here and I would totally move in."

"Not me," Jason mumbled uneasily.

"Me neither," I said. "This place is sketchy."

Behind us, Festus shuddered and snorted flames.

"No, no, no," Zethes said. "The dragon must be deactivated. We can't have fire in here. The heat ruins my hair."

Leo was going to retort some smartass comment, I'm sure, so I nudged him and he sighed. He didn't hesitate to go and press a button on Festus, which made him fold like origami until he was the size of a suitcase. Except of course the suitcase weighed a ton, and the only helpful mechanism were the wheels.

"That's impossible," Jason said. "Something that big couldn't—"

"STOP!" Zethes yelled. He pointed his sword at Leo and I jumped forward between them. "Who are you?" He barked. "A child of the South Wind spying on us?"

I kicked Zethes sword away, and whipped out Slasher. "He's a son of Hephaestus you idiot!"

"Smell fire," Cal growled. "Fire is bad."

"Yeah maybe cause he's been working with fire for the past hours!" I snarled, knowing that the true reason Leo must smell like fire was because of his powers. "Now back OFF before I burn EVERYTHING in here."

"Other pretty girl mad," Cal noticed.

"Zethes," Piper said, flashing another dazzling smile. "We're all friends here. Let's just talk."

"The girl is pretty," Zethes murmured as he stared at Piper, "and of course she cannot help being attracted to my amazingness; but sadly, I cannot romance her this time." He reached over and grabbed his sword.

"You want to fight?" I growled. "Bring it on then, pimple face. Maybe once I kill you I'll study your brain and tell people it belonged to an idiot!"

"Wait!" Jason said firmly. "Leo is just a son of Hephaestus. No threat. Piper is a daughter of Aphrodite. Lydia is a daughter of Hermes. I'm the son of Zeus. We're on a peaceful..."

He faltered, because suddenly the Boreads were staring wide eyed at him.

"You are the son of Zeus?" Zethes demanded.

"Um... yeah. My name is Jason."

"Can't be Jason," Cal said in surprise. "Doesn't look the same."

Zethes squinted at Jason. "No, he is not OUR Jason. Our Jason was more stylish. Not as much as me— but stylish. Besides our Jason died millenia ago."

"Wait," Jason said. "Your Jason... you mean the original Jason? The Golden Fleece guy?"

"Of course," Zethes said. "We were his crewmates aboard his ship the Argo— when we were mortal demigods. Then we accepted immortality to serve our father, so I could look this good for all time, and my silly brother could enjoy pizza and hockey."

"Hockey!" Cal agreed.

"I'm not YOUR Jason," Jason said.

"So destroy?" Cal asked.

"No," Zethes said regretfully. "If he is a son of Zeus, he could be the one we've been watching for."

"Watching for?" Leo asked. "You mean like in a good way— you'll shower him with fabulous prizes? Or watching for in like a bad way— he's in trouble?"

"That depends on my father's will."

Up on the staircase a new figure stood. She was beautiful, but she had a resting bitch face that didn't give me good vibes.

"Father will want to see the one called Jason," she said.

"Then it is him?" Zethes asked excitedly.

"We'll see," she said. "Zethes, bring our guests." However when we all moved, she turned abruptly to Leo. "Not you, Leo Valdez."

"Why not?" He said in a slight whine.

"You cannot be in the presence of my father. Fire and ice— it would not be wise."

"We're going together or not at all," Jason said firmly, putting his hand on Leo's shoulder.

The girl— who I suspected might be the little known goddess of snow— frowned. "He will not be harmed unless you make trouble, Jason Grace. Calais, keep Leo Valdez here. Guard him but don't kill him."

"Just a little?" He pouted.

"No. And take care of his interesting suitcase, until Father passes judgement."

We all looked at each other.

Leo nodded and shrugged. "It's fine, guys. No sense causing trouble if we don't have to. You ho ahead."

"Listen to your friend," the goddess said. "Leo Valdez will be perfectly safe. I wish I could say the same for you, son of Zeus. Now come. King Boreas is waiting."


	33. Evil Elsa Won't Let It Go

As we climbed the icy staircase, Zethes stayed behind us, his blade drawn. The guy might’ve looked like a disco era reject but there was nothing funny about his sword. 

I wish I had one like that— no offense to Slasher. I figured one hit from that thing would probably turn me into a popsicle, and I couldn’t decide if that was more or less dangerous than Clarisse’s spear or even Kronos’s scythe. Just kidding, Kronos’s scythe is still the absolute worst.

Then of course there was the ice princess. She was super hot, in her own cold way. But that bitch face she had was what bothered me. 

Every once in a while she would give Jason a smile, but when she saw me looking she’d frown. Either way there was no warmth in her expression, so it didn’t really matter. I could tell she regarded Jason like he was an especially interesting science specimen— like the way I look at brains when I‘m about to dissect them. I could tell she found him attractive.

Honestly, if these were Boreas’s kids, I wasn’t exactly sure I wanted to meet their dad. He was supposed to be the friendliest of the wind gods, but I think it really just meant he didn’t kill heroes as fast as the others did.

We were silent as we walked, and I noticed Jason grabbed Piper’s hand.

However, the goddess— who I’m now sure is Khione— noticed. Jason and Piper’s hands snapped apart and I saw ice on them.

Jealous.

“Warmth is not a good idea here,” she advised. “Especially when I am your best chance at staying alive. Please, this way.”

She let us into a massive hallway decked in frosty tapestries.

At the end of the hallway, we found ourselves in front of a set of oaken doors carved with a map of the world. In each corner was a man’s bearded face, blowing wind. I don’t think I have ever seen a map like this before. In this version, all the wind guys were clearly winter, blowing ice and snow from every corner of the world.

“This is the throne room,” the goddess said. “Be on your best behavior, Jason Grace. My father can be... chilly. I will translate for you, and try to encourage him to hear you out. I do hope he spares you. We could have such fun.”

“Okay,” I said. “We’re just here for a talk and will be leaving right after. And by the way, I can translate.”

She studied me suspiciously, then smiled wryly. “I love heroes. So blissfully ignorant.”

Piper rested her hand on her dagger. “Well how about you enlighten us? Who are you? What’s your name?”

“Khione,” I muttered.

The goddess looked at me again, but this time with curiosity. “I’m not surprised YOU didn’t recognize me,” she said to Piper. “But you...” she looked at me. “Well even in the ancient times the Greeks did not know me well. Their island homes were too warm, too far from my domain. You are correct, Lydia Castellan. I am Khione, daughter of Boreas, goddess of snow.”

“Cool,” I said. “My friend mentioned you once, years ago.”

Khione’s lip twitched as she summoned a miniature blizzard around her fingers— big fluffy flakes soft as cotton.

“Now come,” she said. The oaken doors blew open and cold blue light spilled out of the room. “Hopefully you will survive your little talk.”

If the entry hall had been cold, the throne room was like a meat locker. 

Mist hung in the air. I shivered, and my breath steamed. Along the walls, purple tapestries showed scenes of snowy forests, barren mountains, and glaciers. High above, ribbons of colored light— the aurora borealis— pulsed along the ceiling. A layer of snow covered the floor, so I had to step very carefully. All around the room stood life-size ice sculpture warriors— some in Greek armor, some medieval, some in modern camouflage— all frozen in various attack positions, sword raised, guns locked and loaded.

At least I thought they were sculptures. Jason tried to step between two Greek spearmen, and they moved with surprising speed, their joints cracking and spraying ice crystals as they crossed their javelins to block his path. He flinched and looked at me, and I simply shrugged and motioned for him to step away from them.

From the far end of the hall, a man’s voice rang out in French, asking the ice guards to stand down. The room was so long and Misty, I couldn’t see the other end; but the ice guards listened nevertheless.

“It’s fine,“ Khione said. “My father has ordered them not to kill you just yet.”

“Super,” Jason said.

Zethes prodded him in the back with his sword. “Keep moving, Jason Junior.”

“Please don’t call me that.”

“My father is not a patient man,” Zethes warned, “and the beautiful Piper, sadly, is losing her magic hairdo very fast. Later, perhaps, I can lend her something for my wide assortment of hair products. And Lydia to, she needs it.”

“Gee, thanks,” I said, rolling my eyes.

We kept walking, and the mist parted to reveal a man on an ice throne. 

He was sturdily build, dressed in a stylish white suit that seemed woven from snow, with dark purple wings that spread out to either side. His long hair and shaggy beard were encrusted with icicles, so I couldn’t tell if his hair was gray or just white with frost. His arched eyebrows made him look angry, but his eyes twinkled more warmly then his daughter’s— as if he might have a sense of humor buried somewhere under that that permafrost. I sure hoped so.

“Welcome,” the man said in French. “I am King Boreas, and you?”

I stepped forward and bowed, and was pleased Piper did the same.

“Your Majestic,” she said. “I’m Piper McLean. This is Lydia Castellan, daughter of Hermes, and Jason Grace, son of Zeus.”

Boreas smiled pleasantly. “You speak French! Excellent!”

“So she does speak French,” Jason said in amazement. Piper was puzzled.

“It’s the language of love,” I said to her in English. “Aphrodite’s language. You speak it naturally.”

Boreas clapped. “Yes!” He shooed Khione away in one flick of his wrist. “No translation will be needed.”

Behind us, Zethes snorted. Khione shot him a murderous look, bowed stiffly to her father, and took a step back.

”Thank you, Majesty,” I said to him in French. “We have come to speak with you.”

He clapped again. “Ah! You speak French as well?”

“Yes. One of my abilities.”

“Incredible! I haven’t met an aligist child of Hermes in many millenia. Unfortunately, however, I must say I have orders to kill you.”

Piper faltered. “He says... he says—“

“He has orders to kill us,” I said in English. 

“Kill us?” Jason said. “Why?”

“Because,” the king said in heavily accented English, “my lord Aeolus has commanded it.”

Boreas rose. He stepped down from his throne and folded his wings against his back. As he approached, Khione and Zethes about. I followed their lead, and Jason and Piper followed mine.

“I shall deign to speak your language,” he said, “as Piper McLean and Lydia Castellan have honored me in mine. Toujours, I have had a fondness for the children of Aphrodite and Hermes. As for you, Jason Grace, my master Aeolus would not expect me to kill a son of Lord Zeus... without first hearing you out.”

“Aeolus is the master of the winds, right?” Jason said. “Why would he want us dead?”

“You are demigods,” Boreas said, as if this explained everything. “Aeolus’s job is to contain the winds, and demigods have always caused him many headaches. They ask him for favors. They unleash winds and cause chaos. But the final insult was the battle with Typhon last summer...”

Boreas waved his hand, and a sheet of ice like a flat screen TV appeared in the air. Images of a battle flickered across the surface— a giant wrapped in storm clouds, wading across the river toward the Manhattan skyline. I had seen this image before, with the flickering glowing figures all around him, swarming him like angry wasps, pounding the monster with lightning and fire. 

The river erupted in a massive whirlpool, just like I had seen it months ago, and the smoky form sank beneath the waves and disappeared. 

I could see the tiny figure of Tyson when he’d led the Cyclops army.

“The storm giant Typhon,” Boreas explained. “The first time the gods defeated him, eons ago, he did not die quietly. His death released a host of storm spirit— wild winds that answer to no one. It was Aeolus’s job to track them all down and imprison them in his fortress. The other gods— they did not help. They did not even apologize for the inconvenience. It took Aeolus centuries to track down all the storm spirits, and naturally this irritated him. Then, two demigods released Typhon from his prison under Mount St. Helens...“

He looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

“Sorry,” I said, which made Jason and Piper look at me in confusion.”

“Then, last summer, Typhon was defeated again—“

“And his death released another wave of venti,” Jason said. “Which made Aeolus even angrier.”

“Exactly,” Boreas agreed.

“I’m sorry, your Majesty,” I said, bowing my head. “The gods had no choice but to battle him. He would’ve destroyed Olympus even after we’d stopped Kronos if they hadn’t fought.”

“I understand that, my dear,” he said. “However, Aeolus cannot take his anger out on the gods. They are his bosses, and very powerful. So he gets even with the demigod that helped them in the war. He issued orders to us: demigods that come to us for aid are no longer to be tolerated. We are to crush their little mortal faces.”

I winced. “Sorry, again. But we didn’t have a choice either.”

“That I understand also,” Boreas said. “Your brother needed to be defeated also.”

At this, Khione flinched. “Castellan. Your brother hosted Kronos.”

There was an uncomfortable silence.

“Yes, he did,” I said, looking up at Boreas. “I am sorry for what transpired, and I would apologize to Aeolus too. But we need you to listen to us—“

“Yes, yes,” Boreas agreed. “You see, Aeolus also said that a son of Zeus might seek my aid.” He looked at Jason. “He said if this happened, I should listen to you before destroying you, as you might— how did he put it?— make all our lives very interesting. I am only obligated to listen, however. After that, I am free to pass judgment as I see fit. But I will listen first. Khione wishes this also. It may be that we will not kill you.”

Jason breathed our heavily. “Great, thanks.”

“Do not thank me.” Boreas smiled. “There are many ways you could make our lives interesting. Sometimes we keep demigods for amusement, as you can see.”

He gestured around the room to the various ice statues.

Piper made a strangled noise. “You mean— they’re all demigods? Frozen demigods? They’re alive?”

“An interesting question,” Boreas conceded, as if it had never occurred to him before. “They do not move unless they are obeying my orders. The rest of the time they are merely frozen. Unless they were to melt, I suppose, it would be very messy.”

I sensed movement and turned my head slightly. Khione had stepped behind Jason and leaned in to whisper in this ear, although we could all hear it. “My father gives me such lovely presents. Join our court. Perhaps I’ll let your friends go.”

“What?” Zethes broke in. “If Khione gets this one, then I deserve the pretty girl! Khione always gets more presents!”

I tried to ignore the fact he’d called out I was way uglier than Piper.

“Now children,” Boreas said sternly. “Our guests will think you are spoiled! Besides you moved too fast. We have not even heard the demigod’s story yet. Then we will decide what to do with them. Please, Jason Grace, entertain us.”

It was clear he knew something about Jason. He wanted to test him. 

Jason faltered and looked sideways at us. Behind him Khione purred and stroked his neck.

Seconds later there was a loud pop and she flew backward, skidding across the floor.

Zethes laughed. “That is good! I’m glad you did that, even though I have to kill you now.”

Khione was stunned for a moment, but then the air around her began to swirl with a micro-blizzard, and I saw Jason grow pale. “You dare—“

“Stop,” I hissed, yanking Jason away from Khione’s life of fire (or ice, but you know what I mean). “You are not going to kill any one of us, or keep us as presents. We were handpicked by Hera for this quest so unless you want her busting down your doors, you will let us explain and let us go.”

Boreas’s eyes twinkled. “You are assertive, child of Hermes. You and your brother shared that trait.” He contemplated me, then turned to Jason. “A son of Zeus, however, favored by Hera? This is definitely a first. Tell us your story.”

Jason, however, didn’t begin to speak. He looked too nervous.

I was about to start talking when Piper beat me to it, explaining everything that’d happened to them since the Grand Canyon.

“All we ask for is guidance,” she concluded. “These storm spirits attacked us, and they’re working for some evil mistress. If we find them, maybe we can find Hera.”

The king stroked the icicles on his beard. Out the windows, night had fallen, and the only light came from the aurora borealis overhead, washing everything in red and blue.

“I know of these storm spirits,” Boreas said. “I know where they are kept, and of the prisoner they took.”

“You mean Coach Hedge?” Jason asked. “He’s alive?”

Boreas waved aside the question. “For now. But the one who controls these storm winds... it would be madness to oppose her. You would be better staying here as frozen statues.”

“Hera is in trouble,” I said, “and in three days it is likely her essence will be consumed and a giant will rise. I am confident we can oppose this mistress of the storm winds. We have to.”

“Yes, I am aware,” he said. I swore he shot Khione an angry look. “Many horrible new things are waking. Even my children do not tell me the news they should. The Great Stirring of monsters that began with Kronos— why, Zeus foolishly believed it would end when the Titans were defeated. But just as it was before, so it is now. The final battle is yet to come, and the one who will wake is more terrible than any Titan. I sense you know this, Lydia Castellan.”

I nodded slowly, and gulped.

“Therefore you know that these storm spirits are only the beginning,” he said. “You lived the last war. You know that the earth has many more horrors to yield up. When monsters no longer stay in Tartarus, and souls are no longer confined to Hades... Olympus has good reason to fear. Oppose the mistress, if you’d like. Even she won’t be the worst. If you are confident... well...”

“So you’ll help us?” Jason asked.

Boreas scowled. “I did not say that.”

“Please, Your Majesty,” Piper said. “If you tell us where the storm spirits are, we can capture them and bring them to Aeolus. You’d look good in front of your boss. Aeolus might pardon us and the other demigods. We could even rescue Gleeson Hedge. Everyone wins.”

Her voice had a very strong persuasive aspect to it, and I found myself believing every word. I suspected Drew may not be the only charmspeaking daughter of Aphrodite.

“She’s pretty,” Zethes mumbled. “I mean, she’s right!”

“Father, don’t listen to her!” Khione snapped. “She’s a child of Aphrodite. She dares to charmspeak a god? Freeze her now!”

Boreas considered this, and Jason and I both reached into our pockets for our weapons.

Boreas then flinched. “What is that on your forearm, Jason Grace?”

Jason looked down at his tattoo, which could now be seen. Reluctantly, he raised his arm to allow him to see.

The god’s eyes widened. Khione hissed and stepped away.

Boreas then did something unexpected. He laughed so loudly, an icicle cracked from the ceiling and crashed next to his throne. The god’s form began to flicker, and his beard vanished. He grew taller and thinner, and his clothes changed to a Roman toga lined with purple. His head was crowned with a frosty laurel wreath, and a gladius— a Roman sword like Jason’s— hung at his side.

“Aquilon,” Jason said.

The god inclined his head. “You recognize me better in this form, yes? And yet you said you came from Camp Half Blood?”

Jason shifted his feet. “Uh... yes, Your Majesty.”

“And Hera sent you there....” his eyes were full of mirth. “I understand now. Oh, she plays a dangerous game. Bold, but dangerous! No wonder Olympus is closed. They must be trembling at the gamble she has taken.”

I felt my lip twitch, and he looked at me, studying my expression.

“Ah!” He said gleefully, his eyes glinting mischievously. “You know exactly what I mean, don’t you?”

Piper looked at Jason and I nervously. “Why did Boreas change shape? The toga, the wreath. What’s going on?”

“It’s his Roman form,” Jason murmured. “But what’s going on—“

“I can’t tell you,” I said quietly. “Not yet, anyway. But don’t be worried.”

Aquilon laughed. “This should be very interesting to watch.”

“Does that mean you’ll let us go?” Piper asked.

“My dear,” Aquilon said, “there is no reason for me to kill you. If Hera’s plan fails, which I think it will, you will tear each other apart. Aeolus will never have to worry about demigods again.”

“My lord,” I said, bowing my head. “I have faith in her plan. Although I dislike it, I sense it will go... alright. Not perfect, but alright.”

Aquilon’s eyes flickered from Jason to Piper to me. “Your confidence is astoundingly high, Lydia Castellan. But I don’t think you understand everything.”

“I don’t suppose you could explain?” Jason asked.

“Oh, perish the thought!” Aquilon said. “It is not for me to interfere in Hera’s plan. No wonder she took your memory.” He chuckled. “You know, I have a reputation as a helpful wind god. Unlike my brethren, I’ve been known to tall in love with mortals. Why, my so s Zethes and Calais started as demigods—“

“Which explains why they’re idiots,” Khione growled.

“Stop it!” Zethes snapped back. “Just because you were born a full goddess—“

“Both of you, freeze,” Boreas ordered. Apparently the word carried a lot of weight in the household, because the two siblings ent absolutely still. “Now as I was saying, I have a good reputation. But it is rare that Boreas plays an important role in the affairs of gods. I sit here in my palace, at the edge of civilization, and so rarely have amusements. Why, even that fool Notus, the South Wind, gets spring break in Cancún. What do I get? A winter festival with naked Québécois rolling around in the snow!”

“I like the winter festival,” Zethes muttered.

“Perv,” I coughed.

“My point,” Aquilon snapped, “is that I now have a chance to be the center. Oh, yes, I will let you go on this quest. You will find your storm spirits in the windy city, of course, Chicago—“

“Father!” Khione protested.

Boreas ignored his daughter. “If you can capture the winds, you may be able to gain safe entrance to the court of Aeolus. If by some miracle you succeed, be sure to tell him you captured the winds on my orders.”

“Okay, sure,” Jason said. “So Chicago is where we’ll find the lady who’s controlling the winds? She’s the one who’s trapped Hera?”

“Ah.” Aquilon grinned. “Those are two different questions, son of Jupiter.”

Jason flinched slightly. 

He’d called him a son of Jupiter.

“The one who controls the winds,” Aquilon continued, “yes you will find her in Chicago. But she is only a servant— a servant who is very likely to destroy you. If you succeed against her and take the winds, then you may go to Aeolus. Only he has knowledge of all the winds on earth. All secrets come to his fortress eventually. If anyone can tell you where Hera is imprisoned, it is Aeolus. As for who you will meet when you find Hera’s cage— truly, if I told you that, you would beg me to freeze you.”

“Father,” Khione protested, “you can’t simply let them—“

“I can do what I like,” he said, his voice hardening. “I am still master here, am I not?”

The way he glared at his daughter, it was clear they had some ongoing argument. Khione’s eyes flashed angrily. “As you wish, Father.”

“Now go, demigods,” Aquilon said, “before I change my mind. Zethes, escort them out safely.”

We all bowed, and the god of the North Wind dissolved into mist.

___________

When we arrived back into the entry hall, we saw Leo was all cleaned up, with new clothes and no more grease stains. He looked cold, but unharmed. Festus was back in his normal form, snorting fire over his scales to keep himself defrosted.

As we came down the stair, Leo looked up at us. He smirked when he saw Khione and combed his hair back.

At the bottom step, Khione turned to Piper. “You have fooled my father, girl. But you have not fooled me. We are not done. And you, Lydia Castellan. You should have chosen the other side long ago.”

“I’m good where I am,” I said cooly. “Although I’m not surprised at your opinion.”

Her eyes flashed with ice. “Jason Grace, I will see you as a statue in the throne room soon enough.”

“Boreas is right,” Jason said. “You’re a spoiled kid. See you around, ice princess.”

You know that feeling when your crush says something messed up to you in your face? That’s probably how Khione felt.

This time her eyes flared pure white. She seemed at a loss for words. She stormed back up the stairs— literally. Halfway up, she turned into a blizzard and disappeared.

“Be careful,” Zethes warned. “She never forgets an insult.”

Cal grunted in agreement. “Bad sister.”

“She’s the goddess of snow,” Jason said. “What’s she gonna do? Throw snowballs at us?”

I winced. She could probably do a whole lot worse.

Leo looked devastated. “What happened up there? You made her mad? Is she mad at me too? Guys, that was my prom date!”

“First of all you aren’t old enough to go to prom yet,” I said. “And secondly... well we’ll explain later.” 

“Yeah,” Jason said, nodding. He looked extremely nervous as he spoke. “We’ll explain later.”

“Be careful, pretty girl,” Zethes said. “The winds between here and Chicago are bad tempered. Many other evil things are stirring. I am sorry you will not be staying. You would make a lovely ice statue, in which I could check my reflection.”

“Thanks,” Piper said. “But I’d sooner play hockey with Cal.”

“Hockey?” Cal’s eyes lit up.

“Joking,” Piper said. “And the storm winds aren’t our worst problem, are they?”

“Oh no,” Zethes agreed. “Something else. Something worse.”

“Worse,” Cal echoed.

“Can you tell me?” Piper flashed them a smile.

But the Boreads shook their heads in unison. The hangar doors opened onto a freezing starry night, and Festus stomped his feet, anxious to fly.

“Ask Aeolus what is worse,” Zethes said darkly. “He knows. Good luck.”

He almost sounded like he cared what happened to then, even though a few minutes ago he wanted to make Piper an ice sculpture.

Cal patted Leo on the shoulder. “Don’t get destroyed. Next time— hockey. Pizza.”

“Come on,” I said, half smiling at the Boreads. “We should get going to Chicago. Keep in mind we’ll be trying NOT to get destroyed.”


	34. We Shop With a Holiday Barbie

Once we'd explained everything, Piper and Jason took their turn to sleep.

Unfortunately for them, that didn't last long.

Festus twitched, and squeaked, " _Ouch_."

" _Ouch_?" I inquired. " _What do you mean 'ouch'?"_

But Festus didn't get to reply. His eyes suddenly flickered, and the light died in them.

Next thing I knew, Leo was screaming, and the body of the bronze dragon was spinning out of control, it's wings limp, fire flickering in its mouth like a badly wired lightbulb.

Piper and Jason screamed as they woke up, and Leo and I flew off the dragons back.

"NOT COOOOOL!" Leo yelled, frantically grabbing at the clouds.

We soared down, and I screamed, my eyes wide in terror.

Above me I could hear Jason yelling something to Piper but the wind was roaring in my ears, and all I could think about was what the hell to do.

I could get spinal damage if I balled up and would break anything else otherwise.

I knew I was overthinking it, but it was the only thing I could even think about.

If I died like this I would be downright furious.

Jason's arms suddenly wrapped around me and Leo, who was falling beside me.

"I got you guys," he mumbled, his voice strained.

But he couldn't keep up the winds. His face was white with effort, and he grunted like it was causing him extreme pain.

"I can't," he groaned suddenly. "I can't—"

His grip loosened. Me being the shortest and thinnest, slipped out of his arms immediately and fell like a stone.

The building below was nearing at a blinding speed, and I was certain I would splat on it and die.

But I didn't. I slammed into the roof and fell through it, landing directly on a metal rail. I wailed as my head collided with it, and I slumped to the floor. Seconds later the others fell all around me, and I heard Piper cry out.

My head was spinning. I blinked. My vision was blurry, and everything seemed to have gotten darker.

"Concussion," I murmured, my body too weak to move. I tried to think of anything so I wouldn't pass out. It seemed like I'd suddenly forgotten everything medical school taught me. "Need to... pump..."

The last thing I saw was Jason and Leo running towards me, and the figure of Piper with a very broken ankle behind them.

_________

The problem with being super hurt is your powers don't work.

I was dazed before I passed out, and I was nowhere near strong enough to try and heal myself. I knew I was risking my essence burning.

Unfortunately this meant I passed out.

I woke up a few times, my head still throbbing.

The first time I managed to take in a short explanation from Piper about how Leo had kicked some Cyclops butt in the warehouse, how Jason had had some dream about Hera regarding the giants Porphyrion and Enceladus, and how we were now following some storm spirit.

The second time, we were in a Chicago sewer. Apparently Leo had carried me. I wearily listened to him explain his story to Piper and Jason, and was forced to eat tofu tacos because apparently Piper was vegetarian. I didn't mind the taste but eating hurt. Munching made my head pulsate painfully and Piper had to charmspeak me into finishing the three tacos I was allotted.

That night I wasn't given a set time to keep watch. I think they pitied me because of how disoriented I was.

However when I woke in the morning, I felt amazing, and was strong enough to use my powers a bit on myself, which left me strong enough to walk.

"I feel so useless," I mumbled as we packed our things. "I've been knocked out for a long time. Didn't help with the Cyclopes or anything."

"Hey, don't beat yourself up about it," Jason said. "You got hurt worse than I did. Plus you're our best fighter, you need your rest."

I half smiled, and strapped my bag to my back.

The tunnel we walked through twisted and turned and seem to go on forever. Eventually we found polish steel elevator doors, each one engraved with a cursive letter M. Next to the elevator was a directory.

"M for Macy's?" Piper guessed. "I think they have one in downtown Chicago."

"I don't know," I said. "That's not the Macy's logo."

"Guys, read the directory," Leo said. "It's messed up."

"Kennels?" Piper murmured as she read it. "And what kind of department store has its entrance in a sewer?"

"Or sells poisons," Leo said. "Man, what foes sundries even mean? Is that like underwear?"

Jason took a deep breath. "When in doubt, start at the top."

The scent of perfume attacked us as the elevator opened on the fourth floor.

"Oh crap," I said as I stepped out. "Definitely not Macy's."

The department store looked like the inside of a kaleidoscope. The entire ceiling was stained glass mosaic, with astrological signs and a giant sun. The daylight streaming through it washed everything in a hundred different colors.

The upper floors made a ring of balconies around a huge central atrium, so we could see all the way down to the ground floor.

There was too much to take in at once, but there was some normal stuff like shirt racks and shoes mixed in with armored manikins, bed of nails, and fur coats that seemed to be moving

"Check it out," Leo said, pointing at an oversize canary cage by a fountain.

"Coach Hedge!" Piper cried as she saw the figure inside. "We've got to get down there."

"May I help you find something?"

We all jumped as the elegant woman who resembled a holiday Barbie— but with black hair— appeared right in front of us.

"I'm so happy to see new customers," she said with a smile. "How may I help you?"

Trying to make up for how useless I'd been, I spoke up.

"Hi," I said. "Um... interesting store. Who are you."

"I am the Princess of Colchis," she said. "My friends call me Your Highness. Now, what are you looking for?"

"You look familiar," I said before anyone could reply. "Just like Circe."

She raised her eyebrows. "You have met Circe?"

"Yeah. Four years ago."

"Well I am... a distant relative of hers," the Princess said, smiling wryly.

I felt like I should know who she was but I had no clue.

"Okay..." I mumbled. "Actually, Your Highness... down there is a satyr, Gleeson Hedge. He is our friend. Could we have him back, please?"

"Of course!" She said immediately. "I would love to show you my inventory. First, may I know your names?"

I hesitated. Something about her was off.

"This is Piper," Jason said suddenly. "And that's Leo and I'm Jason and—"

"And I'm Lydia Castellan," I said, cutting Jason off.

The princess smiled at me. However when she turned her gaze back to Jason, her eyes flickered unnaturally, and I frowned. I swore I saw fire in them.

"Jason," she said. "What an interesting name. I think we'll have to make a special deal for you. Come children, let's go shopping."

Out of instinct, I probably would've snapped "we're not children" but I found a strangely peaceful force that kept me at bay. I didn't think too much of it, I thought it was just my conscience.

"Shall we start with the potions?" She said, gesturing to the cosmetics counter.

"Cool," I said, my lips forming a smile. I was confused for a minute. Why was I smiling? I then decided it was because she was really pretty.

I felt warm.

"Guys," Piper interrupted, "we're here to get the storm spirits and Coach Hedge. If this— princess— is really our friend—"

"Oh, I am better than a friend, my dear," her Highness said. "I'm a saleswoman. Don't worry. We'll work our way down to the first floor, eh?"

Leo and Jason nodded eagerly. "Sure, yeah! That sounds okay, right Piper?"

"Of course it's okay." Her Highness put her hands on Leo and Jason's shoulders, and walked directly beside me, smiling down at me. "Come along. Ah— here is the finest assortment of magical mixtures anywhere."

The counter was crammed with bubbling beakers and smoking vials on tripods. All the smells mixed together, some pleasant, some like burning tires, skunk spray, and gym lockers. I cringed slightly.

The princess pointed at a bloodred vial— a simple test tube with a cork stopper. "This one will heal any disease."

"Gorgon's blood?" I mumbled. "From the right side. And I'm assuming the other vial kills you slowly and painfully. Blood from the left side."

"Yes!" She said cheerfully. "Exactly! You are as smart as you are pretty."

I found myself blushing, and I wasn't sure why.

I mean it was a flirty compliment sure but... I didn't trust her, did I?

"Jason, Lydia," Piper said. "We've got a job to do. Remember?"

I blinked. I'd momentarily forgotten.

"Job to do," Jason muttered. "Sure. But shopping first, okay?"

The Princess seemed pleased. "Now over here we have potions that cause blindness, insanity—"

"Wait," Piper said. "Could that... could lost memory?"

She was looking directly at the red vial.

The Princess narrowed her eyes. "Possibly. Yes. Quite possibly. Why, my dear? Have you forgotten something important?"

"How much?" Piper blurted out.

"Well, now, the price is always tricky," she said. "I love helping people. Honestly, I do. And I always keep my bargains, but sometimes people try to cheat me. Once, for instance, I met a young man who wanted a treasure from my father's kingdom. We made a bargain, and I promise to help him steal it."

"From your own dad?" Jason mumbled, his eyebrows furrowed.

I looked at her Highness. I was finding it unnaturally hard to concentrate. Was it the concussion?

"Oh, don't worry," the princess said. "I demanded a high price. The young man had to take me away with him. He was quite good looking, dashing, strong..." She looked at Piper and smirked slightly. "I am sure, my dear, you understand how one might be attracted to such a hero, and want to help him."

I wasn't sure why she was telling her that, but it didn't matter. I could only focused on how pretty she looked when she smirked.

"At any rate," her Highness continued, "my hero had to do many impossible tasks, and I'm not bragging when I say he couldn't have done them without me. I betrayed my own family to win the hero his prize. And still he cheated me of my payment."

"Cheated?" I murmured. I was starting to find the story really familiar, but I was so distracted. It was like some force wasn't letting me think.

"That's messed up," Leo decided.

Her Highness patted his cheek affectionately. "I'm sure you don't need to worry, Leo. You seem honest. You would always pay a fair price, wouldn't you?"

Leo nodded. "What were we buying again? I'll take two."

Piper broke in. "So, the vial, your Highness— how much?"

The princess assessed Piper's clothes, her face, her posture, as of putting a price tag on one slightly used demigod.

Something about the way she was looking at her was suspicious, but I couldn't focus on that either. I could tell she was not looking at her in any sort of 'I'm attracted to her' way but I found myself getting jealous, which made it harder for me to concentrate.

Something was wrong but my brain wasn't working to piece everything together.

"Would you give anything for it, my dear? The princess asked Piper. "I sense that you would."

Pipers looked at her strangely. "No, I won't pay any price. But a fair price, maybe. After that, we need to leave. Right, guys?"

I could tell she meant for us to answer, but I wasn't even sure what the right answer was.

I wanted to stay, and I wanted to get to know the princess. But some part of me was also saying that we need to get out of here with Coach Hedge as soon as possible, and I didn't know why my conscience was so desperate for me to leave.

"Leave?" Jason said, looking confused.

"You mean... after shopping?" Leo asked.

That didn't seem to be the answer Piper wanted, considering how her jaw tightened.

"Impressive," the princess said, tilting her head and examining Piper with new found respect. "Not many people could resist my suggestions. Are you a child of Aphrodite, my dear? Ah, yes— I should have seen it. No matter. Perhaps we should shop a while longer before you decide what to buy, eh?"

"But the vial—"

"Now boys," the princess said, "and girl." She winked at me. "Would you like to see more?"

"Sure," Jason said.

"Okay," Leo added.

I'm 99.99% certain I shot her the stupidest smile of my flirting career. "Definitely."

"Excellent," the princess said, patting my cheek. "You'll need all the help you can get if you are to make it to the Bay Area."

When she withdrew her hand I felt myself blush, and my hand instinctively touched the spot where her hand had been.

I didn't know why I was so infatuated.

"The Bay Area?" Piper said. "Why the Bay Area?"

The princess smiled. "That's where they'll die, isn't it?"

I didn't really register what she said because seconds later she urged us down the escalator to where the clothes were.

"Distressed clothing!" Leo said in awe. "Let's check it out."

The princess waved at me and I blushed again, and headed to the rack.

I found some nice jeans and was about to look through the shoes when Jason cried out "Hey, check it out!"

He held up a purple t shirt like the one he'd had on when Annabeth, Butch, and I found them at the Grand Canyon. This shirt looked like it'd been clawed by tigers.

"Wicked!" I said.

Jason frowned. "Why does it look so familiar?"

"Jason, it's like yours," Piper said. "Now we really have to leave."

"Nonsense," the princess said. "The boys and Lydia aren't done, are they? And yes my dear, those shirts are very popular— trade-ins from previous customers. It suits you."

Jason smiled and tucked the shirt under his arm.

Leo picked up an orange Camp Half Blood tee with a hole through the middle as if it had been hit by a javelin.

"Super cool," I said looking sideways at the princess, who winked at me.

"You would look good in it," she said sweetly.

I beamed and took the shirt from Leo.

"Hey," he said. "You already HAVE one."

"I want that one," I whined. "Her Highness said it would look good on me."

Leo stuck his tongue out and handed me the shirt.

"Your Highness," Piper said, "why don't you tell everyone how you betrayed your family? I'm sure they'd like to hear that story."

"More story?" Leo asked.

"I like more story!" Jason agreed.

I looked at the princess and smiled. "I would love to hear more about you."

I didn't know why I said it. I wasn't trying to flirt. It was like someone was willing me to act stupid.

The princess flashed Piper an irritated look. "Oh, one will do strange things for love, Piper. You should know that. I fell for that young hero, in fact, because your mother Aphrodite had me under a spell. If it wasn't for her— but I can't hold a grudge against a goddess, can I?"

"But that hero took it with him when he fled Colchis," Piper said. "Didn't he, your Highness? He married you just as he promised."

"At first," Her Highness admitted, "it seemed he would keep his word. But even after I helped him steal my father's treasure, he still needed my help. As we fled, my brother's fleet came after us. His warships overtook us. He would've destroyed us, but I convinced my brother to come aboard our ship first and talk under a flag of truce. He trusted me."

"And you killed your own brother," Piper said.

I frowned. This story was really familiar.

"What?" Jason said. "Killed your own—"

"No," the princess snapped. "Those stories are lies. It was my new husband and his men who killed my brother, though they couldn't have done it without my deception. They threw his body into the sea, and the pursuing fleet had to stop and search for it so they could give my brother a proper burial. This gave us time to get away. All this, I did for my husband. And he forgot our bargain. He betrayed me in the end."

I winced. It felt like my mind was clearing, and I found myself able to think. Where had I heard this story before?

"What did he do?" Jason asked.

The princess held up a sliced up toga she had in her hand against Jason's chest, as if measuring him for an assassination. "Don't you know the story, my boy? You've all people should. You were named for him."

"Jason," Piper said. "The original Jason. But then you're— you should be dead!"

Jason. The Golden Fleece. I was remembering. The princess's name was at the tip of my tongue. M... M... I simply couldn't remember.

The princess smiled. "As I said, a new life in a new country. Certainly I made mistakes. I turned my back on my own people. I was called a traitor, a thief, a liar, a murderess. But I acted out of love."

She turned to me, and came closer, cupping my face in her hands.

"You know what it's like to lose someone you love," she said, stroking my cheek. "Wouldn't you have done the same for him, if you had a chance to save his life?"

I found myself thinking of Ethan.

"I would do the same," Jason murmured.

"Me too," Leo agreed.

The princess looked at me, awaiting my response.

"N-No," I mumbled, furrowing my eyebrows. "No... I wouldn't." I struggled to stay concentrated on what I wanted to say. "No. I made my choice years ago. I never betrayed my friends for him."

The princess's eyes flashed murderously, like that was definitely not the answer she wanted.

Piper looked hopeful. "Exactly, Lydia. You see who she is, don't you?"

"I think so," I said, narrowing my eyes. "Yeah... aren't you Mede—"

"Let's continue, shall we?" The princess said breezily. I suddenly flinched, and I lost my train of thought. I completely forgot what I'd been about to say.

"I believe you wanted to talk about a price for the storm spirits and your satyr," she said, leading us to the escalator.

"Yep," I said, now dazed. What had I been saying before?

As we went down the escalator, the second floor's collection of appliances came into view.

"No way!" Leo said, pointing at a big oval oven that looked like a barbecue on steroids. "Is that an armored forge?"

He jumped off the escalator, and I found myself giggling.

"Cool!" I chirped, running after him.

When the others caught up with us, the princess said, "You have a good taste. Both of you. This is the H-2000, designed by Hephaestus himself. Hot enough to melt Celestial bronze or Imperial gold."

Jason flinched. "Imperial gold?"

The princess nodded. "Yes, my dear. Like that weapon so cleverly concealed in your pocket. To be properly forged, Imperial gold had to be consecrated in the Temple of Jupiter on Capitoline Hill in Rome. Quite a powerful and rare metal, but like the Roman emperors, quite volatile. Be sure never to break that blade..."

She turned to me and smiled pleasantly. "Rome was after my time, of course, but I do hear stories. And now over here— this golden throne is one of my finest luxury items. Hephaestus made it as a punishment for his mother, Hera. Sit in it and you'll be immediately trapped."

Something inside me told me to walk toward it. I saw Leo was doing the same thing. We both nodded to each other and begin walking toward the throne. I didn't know why I suddenly had the desire to be trapped.

"Leo, Lydia, don't!" Piper cried.

I blinked and stopped. "Um... why?"

But Piper didn't get to answer because Leo said "How much for both?"

"Oh, the seat I could let you have for five great deeds," the princess said, smiling. "The forge, seven years of servitude. And for only a bit of your strength, this contraption right here."

She wrapped her arms around Leo and I and led us an aisle with smaller gadgets.

She picked a particular one up and handed it to me. "When you press this button, it'll trap someone in steel wires. Isn't that lovely?"

"Oh yes," Leo said as he walked around observing other things.

The princess smiled at me and put the gadget back on the table.

"You are an interesting demigod, Lydia Castellan," the princess said, taking my hand. I felt myself blush.

"T-Thanks," I said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

She giggled and wrapped her arm around me, pulling me back to where Piper and Jason were talking.

"Children," she said, and Leo trotted to catch up to us. "If you please, we will now see what you came for. That is what you want? Yes?"

We took the escalator down to the base of the fountain. For the first time, I noticed two large bronze sundials— each about the size of the trampoline— inlaid on the marble tile floor to the north and south of the fountain. The gilded oversize canary cages street to the east and west, and the farthest one held all of the storm spirits. They were so densely packed, spinning around like a super concentrated tornado, but I couldn't tell how many there were— dozens, at least.

"Hey," Leo said. "Coach Hedge looks okay!"

"He does," I said, smiling to the princess.

We ran to the nearest canary cage. The old satyr seemed to have been petrified at the moment she was sucked into the sky above the Grand Canyon, since he was frozen mid-shout with his club raised over his head.

"Yes," the princess said. "I always keep my wares in good condition. We can certainly barter for the storm spirits and the satyr. A package deal. If we come to terms, I'll even throw in the vial of healing potion, and you can go in peace." She gave piper a shrewd look. "That's better than starting unpleasantness, isn't it, dear?"

I looked at Piper eagerly. "Please?" I said, making my best attempt a puppy dog eyes.

She winced and nodded slowly. "We can negotiate," she said, and I squealed like a small child on Christmas. Definitely one of my more cringe worthy moments.

"Totally!" Leo agreed. "Name your price."

"Leo!" Piper snapped.

The princess chuckled. "Name my price? Perhaps not the best haggling strategy, my boy, but at least you know a thing's value. Freedom is very valuable indeed. You would asked me to release the satyr, who attacked my storm winds—"

"Who attacked us," Piper interjected.

Her Highness shrugged. "As I said, my patron asks me for small favors from time to time. Sending the storm spirits to abduct you— that was one. I assure you it was nothing personal. And no harm done, as you came here, in the end, of your own free well! At any rate, you want the satyr freed, and you want my storm spirits— who are very valuable servants, by the way— so you can hand them over to that tyrant Aeolus. Doesn't seem quite fair, does it? The price will be high."

I nodded. "I'll do anything!" I said, looking at the princess.

Piper suddenly grabbed my shoulder, and looked at her Highness.

"Don't be fooled, Lydia," she said firmly. "This is Medea."

Oh. Medea.

Why am I always attracted to the bad guys?

I guess I'll never know.


	35. Festus Helps Us Kick Medea Butt

"You're Medea," Piper said, glaring at the princess. "You helped the original Jason steal the Golden Fleece. You're one of the most evil villains in Greek mythology. Jason, Lydia, Leo— don't trust her."

All the pieces connected and I seemed to snap out of a trance.

Medea had been charmspeaking us.

Leo scratched his head and looked around like he was coming out of a dream. "What are we doing again?"

"Boys!" Medea said. "It's true, I'm Medea. But I am so misunderstood. Oh, Piper, Lydia, my dears, you don't know what it was like for women in the old days. We had no power, no leverage. Often we couldn't even choose our own husbands. But I was different. I choose my own destiny to becoming a sorceress. Is that so wrong? I made a pact with Jason— my help to win the fleece, in exchange for his love. A fair deal. He became a famous hero! Without me, he would've died unknown on the shores of Colchis."

"Sad you needed to bribe him to get love," I muttered, finally able to resist her charmspeak now that I was aware of it.

She gritted her teeth and was about to snap when Jason cut her off. "Then... you really did die three thousand years ago? You came back from the Underworld?"

"Death no longer holds me, young hero," Medea said. "Thanks to my patron, I am flesh and blood again."

"You... Reformed?" Leo blinked. "Like a monster?"

Medea spread her fingers, and steam hissed from her nails, like water splashed on hot iron. "You have no idea what's happening, do you, my dears? It is so much worse than a stirring of monsters from Tartarus. My patron knows that giants and monsters are not her greatest servants. I am mortal. I learn from my mistakes. And now that I have returned to the living, I will not be cheated again. Now here's my price for what you ask."

"Guys," Piper said, "the original Jason left Medea because she was crazy and bloodthirsty."

"Lies!" Medea said.

"On the way back from Colchis, Jason's ship landed in another kingdom, and Jason agreed to dump Medea and marry the king's daughter."

"After I bore him two children!" Medea said. "Still he broke his promise! I ask you, was that right?"

I resisted the urge to shake my head, although Leo and Jason did it without question.

"It may not have been right," Piper said, "but neither was Medea's revenge. She murdered her own children to get back at Jason. She poisoned his new wife and fled the kingdom."

Madea snarled. "An invention to ruin my reputation! The people of the Corinth— that unruly mob— killed my children and drove me out. Jason did nothing to protect me. He robbed me of everything. So yes, I snuck back into the palace and poisoned his lovely new bride. It was only fair— a suitable price."

"You're insane," I hissed, very cautiously reaching for Slasher.

"I am the victim!" Medea wailed. "I died with my dreams shattered, but no longer. I know now not to trust heroes. When they come asking for treasures, they will pay a heavy price. Especially when the one asking has the name of Jason!"

The fountain turned bright red. Piper drew her dagger, but her hand was shaking too badly to hold it. I whipped out Slasher. "Jason, Leo— it's time to go. Now."

"Before you've closed the deal?" Medea asked. "What of your request, boys? My price is so easy. Did you know this fountain is magic? If a dead man were to be thrown into it, even if he was chopped up pieces, he would pop back out fully formed— stronger and more powerful than ever."

"Seriously?" Leo asked.

"No!" I cried. "She's lying! She's used this trick before, on a king. She convinced his daughters to cut him to pieces so he could come out of the water young and healthy again, but it just killed him! Don't listen to her!"

"Ridiculous!" Medea snarled, and I found myself struggling to resist her voice. "Leo, Jason, my price is so simple. Why don't you two fight? If you get injured, or even killed, no problem. We'll just throw you into the fountain and you'll be better than ever. You do want to fight, don't you? You resent each other!"

"Guys, no!" Piper cried. But the boys were already glaring at each other, as if it was just dawning on them how they really felt.

Leo scowled. "Jason is always the star. He always gets the attention and takes me for granted."

"You're annoying, Leo," Jason said. "You never take anything seriously. You can't even fix a dragon. You needed Lydia to help you, and she's not even a mechanic."

"Stop it!" I cried. "You guys didn't even know each other three days ago, it was all fake! Hera made you believe that you knew each other, but you don't! You don't know if anyone is actually annoying or if anyone is always given attention! We're supposed to be working together!"

But they ignored me completely. After all, I was no charmspeaker. Jason drew his golden sword and Leo a hammer from his tool belt.

"Let them go, Lydia, Piper," Medea purred. "I'm doing you a favor. Let it happen now, and you won't have to worry about anything." She looked at Piper. "It will make your choice so much easier. Enceladus will be pleased. You could have your father back today!"

"Piper, what is she talking about?" I murmured.

Piper however, didn't answer.

"You work for Enceladus," she mumbled.

Medea laughed. "Serve a giant? No. But we all serve the same greater cause— a patron you cannot begin to challenge. Walk away, child of Aphrodite. This does not have to be your death, too. Save yourself, and your father can go free. I'll even spare Lydia."

Piper looked sideways at me, then at Leo and Jason, who were facing off, ready to fight. They still looked unsteady and confused— waiting for another order.

I could tell they were subconsciously resisting. They knew this wasn't their nature.

"Listen to me, girl." Medea plucked a diamond off her bracelet and threw it into a spray of water from the fountain. As it passed through the multicolored light, Medea said, "Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, show me the office of Tristan McLean."

The mist shimmered, and an office appeared. Sitting behind the desk, talking on the phone, was a woman in a dark business suit, with her hair swirled in a tight bun. I assumed it was her father's assistant.

"Hello, Jane," Medea said.

Jane hung up the phone calmly. "How can I help you, ma'am? Hello Piper."

"You—" Piper said, sounding so angry she could hardly speak.

"Yes, child," Medea said. "Your father's assistant. Quite easy to manipulate. An organized mind for a mortal, but incredibly weak."

"Thank you, ma'am," Jane said.

"Don't mention it," Medea said. "I just wanted to congratulate you, Jane. Getting Mr. McLean to leave town so suddenly, take his jet to Oakland without alerting the press or the police— well done! No one seems to know where he's gone. And telling him his daughter's life was on the line— that was a nice touch to get his cooperation."

"Yes," Jane said in a bland tone, as if she were sleepwalking. "He was quite cooperative when he believed Piper was in danger."

"I may have new orders for you, Jane," Medea said. "If the girl cooperates, it may be time for Mr. McLean to come home. Would you arrange a suitable cover story for his absence, just in case? And I imagine the poor man will need some time in a psychiatric hospital."

"Yes, ma'am. I will stand by."

I couldn't believe it. Poor Piper...

The image faded, and Medea turn to piper. "There, you see?"

"You lured my dad into a trap," Piper said. "You helped the giant—"

"Oh, please, dear. You'll work yourself into a fit! I've been preparing for this war for years, even before I was brought back to life. I'm a seer, as I said. I can tell the future as well as your little Oracle. Years ago, still suffering in the Fields of Punishment, I had a vision of the seven in your so-called Great Prophecy. I saw your friend Leo here, and saw that he would be important someday. I stirred the consciousness of my patron, gave her this information, and she managed to wake up a little— just enough to visit him."

I felt my blood turn hot. "You bitch," I spat. "Leo... Leo's mother."

"Leo! Listen to this!" Piper cried desperately. "She helped get your mother killed!"

"Uh huh," Leo mumbled, in a daze. He frowned at his hammer. "So... I just attack Jason? That's okay?"

"Perfectly safe," Medea promised. "And Jason, strike him hard. Show me you are worthy of your namesake."

"No!" Piper ordered, charmspeak laced in her voice. "Jason, Leo— she's tricking you. Put down your weapons."

The sorceress rolled her eyes. "Please, girl you're no match for me. I trained with Circe. Lydia knows her. I can drive men mad or heal them with my voice. What hope do these puny young heroes have against me? Now, boys, kill each other!"

"Jason, Leo, listen to me." Piper seemed to be putting all her emotions into it. "Medea is charming you. It's part of her magic. You are best friends. Don't fight each other. Fight her!"

They hesitated, and I sensed the spell shattered.

Jason blinked. "Leo, was I just about to stab you?"

"Something about my mother...?" Leo frowned, them turned towards Medea. "You... you're working for Dirt Woman. You sent her to the machine shop." He lifted his arm. "Lady, I got a three pound hammer with your name on it."

"Bah!" Medea sneered. "I'll simply collect payment another way!"

She pressed one of the mosaic tiles on the floor, and the building rumbled. Jason swung his sword at Medea, but she dissolved into smoke and reappeared at the base of the escalator.

"You're slow, hero!" She laughed. "Take your frustration out on my pets!"

I was just about to go after her when the giant bronze sundials at either end of the fountain swung open. Two snarling gold beasts— flesh and blood winged dragons— crawled out from the pits below. Each was the size of a camper van, maybe not large compared to Festus, but large enough.

"So that's what's in the kennels," Leo said meekly.

The dragons spread their wings and hissed. I could feel the heat coming off their glittering skin. One turned his angry orange eyes on me.

"Don't look them in the eye!" Jason warmed. "They'll paralyze you!"

"Indeed!" Medea was leisurely riding the escalator up, leaning against the handrail as she watched the fun. "These two dears have been with me a long time. Sun dragons, you know, gifts from my grandfather Helios. They pulled my chariot when I left Corinth, and now they will be your distraction. Ta-ta!"

The dragons longed. Jason and Leo charge to intercept.

"Go for Medea!" I told Piper. "Dragons are my specialty. Distract her while we beat them!"

Piper nodded and sprinted up the escalator.

I charged, my sword raised high.

I went for the dragon attacking Leo, merely because it was impossible to beat a dragon with a hammer.

It was more difficult to fight them when I couldn't look them in the eyes, but I was managing to push them back, giving Leo time to run to some nearby appliances and try to invent something that might help us. I heard him blowing a whistle frantically.

The dragon roared, and I dodged a gigantic column of flame.

"Stop it!" I snapped. The dragon faltered as it heard me speak in a manner it could understand.

That gave me the advantage.

I slid under its belly, and stood quickly, stabbing Slasher into it. It roared and as it moved, I used its own momentum to guide the sword further up into its body, probably cutting all its internal organs in half.

I jumped out from under it just as it collapsed, snarling in pain.

But it wasn't done yet. It spewed fire, and I was only just recovering from my jump.

I would've been burned alive if Leo hadn't thrown me out of the way, intercepting the fire himself.

He charged, having made a spear from several small parts.

The dragon was quicker than him, though. Despite being severely injured, it pounced, and in one swift movement it pinned Leo down.

"Lydia!" He cried. "Help!"

I scrambled up, and bolted forward just in time to jump on the dragon's back, diving Slasher through its neck.

The dragon vaporized, and I slammed to the ground, nearly impaling Leo.

CRASH! The stained glass ceiling splintered in a rain of multi colored shards, and Festus dropped into the department store.

"YES!" I yelled.

Festus hurtled into the fray, snatching up the remaining sun dragon in his claw.

"That's my boy!" Leo yelled.

Festus flew halfway up the atrium, then hurled the sun dragon into the pit it'd come from. Leo raced to the fountain and pressed the marble tile, closing the sundials. They shuddered as the dragon banged against them, truing to get out, but for the moment it was contained.

I felt slightly guilty for leaving it all alone.

Medea cursed loudly in ancient Greek above us, and I smelled something was burning, chemicals filling the air.

Leo urged Jason and I forward and we boarded Festus's back. He flapped his might wings as Leo whispered in his ear, then snatched the two cages with the satyr and the storm spirits in his claws, and began to ascend.

The building rumbled. Fire and smoke curled up the walls, melting the railings, turning the air to acid.

Piper suddenly leapt over a side railing, and Jason and I reached put her arms, luckily catching her and setting her comfortably behind me.

I heard Medea screaming in rage as we soared through the broken roof and over downtown Chicago. Then the department store exploded behind us.

I looked back as Festus bolted through the sky, half expecting to see the remaining sun dragon following us and leading a flying chariot with a furious witch on it, but nothing followed us.

Leo steered the dragon southwest. Eventually, the smoke from the burning department store faded in the distance, but I didn't relax until the suburbs of Chicago gave way to snowy fields, and the sun began to set.

"Whatever you did with Medea," I said, looking over my shoulder at Piper, "it was awesome, and it worked, and you totally saved our lives."

She smiled, and blushed.

In front of me, Leo leaned forward and patted Festus's neck. "Good job, Festus. You did awesome."

The dragon shuddered. Gears popped and clicked in his neck.

"Did you hear that?" Leo said, looking at me.

"Yeah," I said, frowning. " _Hey buddy_ ," I said to Festus. " _You good_?"

" _Sort of_ ," he said softer than usual.

I winced. " _Well we'll give you a tune up next_ _time_ _we land, okay_?"

"You've earned some motor oil and Tabasco sauce," Leo added.

Festus whirled his teeth, but even that sounded weak. He flew at a steady pace, his great wings angling to catch the wind, but he was carrying a heavy load. Two cages in his claws, plus four people on his back. The more I thought about it, the more worried I got. Even metal dragons had limits.

I patted Leo's shoulder. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah," he mumbled. "Not bad for a brainwashed zombie."

I looked down. "Me too... I feel like such an airhead. I can't believe I let her get to me like that."

"Thanks for saving us back there, beauty queen," Leo said, looking to Piper. "If you hadn't talked us out of that spell—"

"Don't worry about it," Piper said quickly.

We were silent for a moment.

Leo cleared his throat. "We're going to have to put down soon. Couple more hours, maybe, to make sure Medea is not following us. I don't think Festus can fly much longer than that."

"Yeah," I agreed. "We can probably put down pretty soon. I'm sure Coach Hedge probably wants to get out of his canary cage, too."

"Question is," Piper said. "Where are we going?"

"The Bay Area," I said immediately. "Oakland. Medea mentioned it."

Piper was silent.

"Piper's dad," Jason said. "Something's happened to your dad, right? He got lured into some kind of trap."

Piper let out a shaky breath. "Look, Medea said you would both die in the Bay Area. And besides... even if we went there, the Bay Area is huge! First we need to find Aeolus and drop off the storm spirits. Boreas said Aeolus was the only one who could tell us exactly where to go."

"Okay," I said. "Any ideas on how to find him? I haven't visited him. No idea where he is."

"Can't your mental GPS tell you?" Leo asked.

I shook my head. "Nope. No location pops up."

Jason leaned forward. "Wait, don't you guys see it?"

"See what?" I asked.

He pointed ahead of us, but all I saw were clouds and the lights of a few towns below us glowing in the dusk.

"What?" Leo asked.

"That... whatever it is," Jason said. "In the air."

Piper looked just as confused as the rest of us.

"Right," Leo said. "Could you be more specific on the 'whatever it is' part?"

"Like a vapor trail," Jason said. "Except its glowing. Really faint, but it's definitely there. We've been following it since Chicago, so I figured you saw it."

Leo shook his head. "Maybe Festus can sense it."

"Well if that's the case I'm betting Aeolus made it," I said. "Like a magic wind trail. He must know we've got prisoners for him. He's telling us where to fly."

"Or it's another trap," Piper said. Her tone was full of despair.

"Pipes, you all right?" Leo asked.

"Don't call me that."

"Okay, fine," he said. "You don't like any of the names I make up for you. But if your dad's in trouble and we can help—"

"You can't," she said, her voice getting shakier. "Look, I'm tired. If you don't mind..."

She leaned back against Jason and closed her eyes.

The rest of us flew in silence for a while. Festus seem to know where he was going. He kept his course, gently curving toward the south west and hopefully Aeolus's fortress. Another wind god to visit, a whole new flavor of crazy. I hoped he didn't have kids like Khione and the Boreads.

After awhile, Leo began to slump back, and eventually he fell fast asleep on me.

I patted his shoulder, stroking his hair as I looked forward.

"Hey," Jason said. "You should sleep too."

"Nah," I said, looking to the distance. "I'm good."

"Lydia you had a concussion less than 24 hours ago and you had to jump into a fight soon after. You should rest."

I yawned, and shook my head. "No, I'm okay—"

"You're not," he said. "I can see it on your face."

"If I look disoriented it's because I'm thinking, not because I'm tired."

"Can you just sleep, please? I-I don't... I don't know how to be a leader here. I'm looking up to you. And if you're tired it won't go well. Plus I'm the only one who can see the vapor trail. I'll make sure we stay on course."

My eyes started to close on their own and I half smiled. "Fine, you win."

Jason took the reins and I leaned back onto Piper, allowing my body to sleep.

___________

I was jolted awake by Festus lurching downward, his ruby eyes dim.

"Not again!" Leo yelled. "You can't fall again!"

"I can try and fix him!" I said, sitting up and loosening my harness, glad that this time I didn't fly off the dragon. "Leo— move—"

"No!" Leo said. "Jason— take Piper and fly out of here then come back for Lydia!"

"What?" Jason and I cried.

"We need to lighten the load! I might be able to reboot Festus, but he's carrying too much weight!" Leo yelled.

"I'm not leaving!" I snapped, waving for Jason to leave with Piper. "I'm helping."

"What if you can't reboot him?" Piper cried. "You'll both—"

"—be fine," I hissed. "Jason, TAKE HER!"

Jason grabbed Piper around the waist and unbuckled their harnesses then shot into the air.

I made my harness as loose as possible and moved to sit on Festus' neck, facing Leo.

We both dug our hands into his control box. Leo was pulling wires like crazy and I was trying to repair a part of Festus' interior that had become too loose.

"Damn it," I mumbled, furrowing my eyebrows. "Damn it...."

"Come on Festus!" Leo said. "Just you, me, Lydia, and two heavy cages! You can do it, boy!"

"Festus you need to hang on," I said, my hands flying in and out of the toolbox at lightning speed. I didn't know how else to help. I'd already reconstructed this back at Camp and I didn't know what was wrong.

Leo tugged at a wire, and I screamed as Festus neck jolted upward, nearly knocking me off.

"Good!" Leo said. "Come on, big boy, come on!"

I looked down and felt my stomach flip.

"Hate to break it to you," I said, "but the ground isn't too far ahead right now!"

"There isn't anywhere to land!" Leo cried. "Come on Festus, come on..."

"We're going to crash into that house!" I screamed, seeing a white mansion with a snowy lawn close by.

"We can land in the lawn!" Leo said, his face full of determination.

He started steering Festus toward it, and I continued trying desperately to fix the controls.

"No!" Leo yelled, his eyes wide.

I turned to look where we were headed and my mouth dropped open.

Spotlights along the fence fixated on us, blinding me. There was the sound of tracer fire, then metal being cut to shreds, and then an explosion.

Once again I flew off the dragon, and felt the snow hug me. I still blacked out, but I was fine.

When I woke up, Jason and Piper were leaning over me, looking concerned. I gagged, then spit out some frozen grass.

"Where are we?" I heard Leo groan.

"Lie still," Piper said, leaning over us both. "You rolled pretty hard when— when Festus—"

"Where is he?" Leo asked, sitting up abruptly.

I rolled onto my side and Jason came to help me up. I winced and then shook out my legs. I took out some ambrosia from my pocket and popped it into my mouth, then drew Slasher.

"Leo, stop moving!" Piper pleaded.

Ignoring her, he pushed himself to his feet. I touched his head, and my hand glowed. He got up just fine after that, contemplating the scene around us.

Festus was disintegrated. His limbs were scattered across the lawn, his tail hanging on the fence. His main body had made a twenty feet wide and fifty feet long trench across the mansion's yard. Now his pieces were charred, and smoking.

Leo dropped to his knees and touched Festus' head softly.

"You can't go," Leo sobbed. "You're the best thing I ever fixed."

The dragon made a purring sound, and I understood him to say " _It's okay_."

Tucking my sword behind me I moved closer to it, stroking Festus' snout.

" _You did good_ ," I said. " _You did really good. Without you, we'd have been dead a long time ago."_

"It's not fair," Leo said, his voice bitter.

The dragon began clicking, almost like it was using some sort of code. This I couldn't understand, but it seemed Leo could.

"Morse code," Leo whispered. "Yeah. I understand. I will. I promise."

Then he burst into more tears.

I patted his back softly, then stood up, looking around where we were. There was something about this place, something important.

"...so sorry, man," I heard Jason say. "What did you promise Festus?"

I turned back to them, seeing Leo was still sniffling. He opened the control panel and sighed.

"You almost finished fixing it, Lydia," Leo said, his voice cracking. "Well... now the control disk is cracked and burned..."

"We can make another one," I said. "Or steal another one."

"Can you stop being a Hermes kid for like two seconds?" Leo said, cracking a small smile. But then he shook his head. "Thanks for trying."

"Leo," Jason inquired again. "What did you promise Festus?"

"Something my dad told me," Leo said. "Everything can be reused."

"Your dad talked to you?" Piper asked. "When was this?"

Leo didn't respond, and instead worked the dragon's neck hinges until the head was detached. Despite the fact it must've weighed a hundred pounded, Leo held it in his arms, looked up at the sky, and said "take him back to the bunker, Dad. Please until I can reuse him. I've never asked you for anything."

The wind picked up, and the dragon's head floated out of Leo's arms and into the sky, disappearing.

"He answered you?" Piper asked in amazement.

"I had a dream," Leo said slowly. "Tell you later."

I winced, looking at him uncertainly.

I looked back around the mansion. It glowed at the center of the grounds. Brick walls with lights and security cameras surrounded the perimeter.

I concentrated, and a holographic image appeared, revealing several traps that'd been set up to keep intruders out.

"Omaha, Nebraska," I mumbled, feeling the location pop into my head. "But what is this place? What the hell do they even need this many traps for?"

"I don't know," Piper said. "We came in right behind you but as you were landing. I swear it looked like... I don't know..."

"Lasers," I said.

"What?" Jason said.

"Lasers," I repeated, picking up a piece of dragon wreckage. "Festus came apart because of lasers... they've got loads more traps, from what I can see."

"Some defense system," Jason whistled. "How are we even alive?"

"Festus took the fire," Leo choked. "The lasers sliced him to bits as he came in so they didn't focus on you. I led him into a death trap."

"You couldn't have known," I said. "Festus saved our lives again. He chose to do this."

We were silent for a minute.

"What now, then?" Jason asked. "The main gates are locked, and I'm guessing I can't fly us out of here without getting shot down."

"There's something important about this mansion," I said. "I can tell. And since we can't go out, we have to go in."


	36. I Meet The Reaper Of Men

Had Leo and I not taken the lead, we all might've died at least five times.

First, there was a motion activated trapdoor on the sidewalk. I sensed this was there and did a series of very elaborate gymnastics moves that I only know from a very dark part of my childhood in order to reach the button to keep the trapdoor shut.

Let me mention Kim Possible is my queen.

Then, Leo found lasers on the steps, which he deactivated in no time just before Jason got blasted to pieces.

A nerve gas dispenser caught my eye as it lingered on the porch railing, so I threw a knife and it lodged perfectly in the dispenser to keep the gas inside.

Leo somehow managed to deactivate the pressure sensitive poison spikes that were on the welcome mat, which I couldn't tell were there since I was focusing on the structure of the exploding doorbell.

"You two are amazing," Jason said.

"Yeah, amazing," Leo said sarcastically. "Can't fix a dragon, but I'm amazing."

I scowled at him. I examined the lock on the door and frowned.

"What?" Piper asked fearfully.

"The door's already unlocked," I said.

"It is?" Piper asked in disbelief. "All those traps and the door's unlocked?"

"Yep," I said, turning the knob. The door swung open easily.

I stepped in, and looked all over the mansion. It was dark, but my eyes were quick to adjust to the lack of light.

The entry hall was bigger than Boreas's penthouse up in Quebec. The yard outside was the only source of light. The thick velvet curtains had a sort of glow about them, and the windows were ten to eleven feet in height. There were several statues around and sofas arranged in a U in the middle of the room. There was one large chair at the far end and a central coffee table. Overhead a massive chandelier glinted, reflecting into the back wall, which had a row of closed doors.

"Where's the light switch?" Jason asked.

"There doesn't appear to be one," I said. "Fire, Leo?"

Leo held out his hand, but nothing appeared. "It's not working."

"Okay," I said, "get a flashlight from your belt or something. We should explore."

"What worries me," Piper said, "is all the traps outside. I think exploring is a bad idea."

"Well... you're right," I mumbled.

"It's a few hours until dawn," Jason guessed. "Too cold to wait outside. Let's bring the cages in and make camp in this room. Wait for daylight, then we can decide what to do."

"Okay," I said, patting his shoulder.

He was a natural leader.

We then rolled the cages with the storm spirits and Coach Hedge in, settling in around the couch. Luckily the couches didn't have any traps in them.

I used a fire lighter I found in my pack to warm up some canned beans and distributed them to the group. After everyone had eaten they went to sleep, and I volunteered to keep watch first.

"I can keep first watch," Jason said.

"Nope," I said. "I'm the most well rested. All of you, sleep.

None of them argued.

I suppose I'm meant to stay in one place when keeping watch, but I didn't stay put.

I walked all around the room and observed the metal statues along the walls. They looked like Greek gods or heroes. I'm not entirely sure whether that made me feel safer here or like I was in more danger.

I rubbed my hand on the statues, wondering what they were made of. It didn't seem familiar, and I couldn't even tell what it was in the dim light.

There were glossy brochures on the coffee table, but I couldn't read it, which was strange. It had to mean it was no known language to humans.

The chair at the end of the room was like a throne. I didn't sit in it, because it radiated a sort of power I wasn't sure could be safe.

The cages were the worst part, and those were brought in by us. The stupid anemoi kept churning and hissing and spinning and I was annoyed by it.

Can you dropkick a storm spirit? In this essay I will—

Just kidding.

Then Coach Hedge was just frozen mid shout, which made it stranger and creepier.

Annabeth and Grover knew him, but I'd never actually met the guy. He wasn't at all like I pictured him.

Eventually I wandered back to my post and sat down, polishing my knives.

Jason and Leo both woke up about two hours later and tried to get me to sleep.

"You can rest too, Lydia," Jason said.

"I'm not tired," I said, looking firmly at him.

"How about you and Jason sleep then I guard?" Leo asked.

"Not a chance," Jason said. Then he looked at Leo. "Leo, I'm sorry about that stuff I said in Chicago. That wasn't me. You're not annoying and you do take stuff seriously— especially your work. I wish I could do half the things you can do."

Leo looked at me, as if saying " _What am I gonna do with this guy?"_

"I try very hard to be annoying," Leo said. "Don't insult my ability to annoy. And how am I supposed to resent you if you go apologizing? I'm a lowly mechanic. You're like the prince of the sky, son of the Lord of the Universe. I'm supposed to resent you."

While Jason and Leo bickered, I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

This reminded me of how Annabeth and I used to fight and apologize two seconds later.

I suppose that's an unwritten rule when you have a best friend. Fight for stupid reasons and make up two seconds later.

"—please, go to sleep, Jason," Leo said. "And you too Lydia. It's going to take me a few hours to get this goat man free. Then I still got to figure out how to make the winds a smaller holding cell, 'cause I am NOT lugging that canary cage to California."

"But Leo—" Jason started.

"Please?" Leo said. "Sleep man... I want some time without you organic life forms."

Jason reluctantly went to sleep, but I sat next to Leo with my arms crossed.

"You're not going to leave me alone, are you?" Leo asked.

"Nope," I said. "I'm the oldest, it's my job to watch over you."

"Oh shut up," Leo said, but I could tell he was slightly grateful. "Why are you such an older sister?"

"Maybe because I've been an older sister for a few years now?" I said, shaking my head again. "Plus I'm not tired."

Leo shrugged and got to work.

I ended up joining him since I had nothing better to do. We freed the Coach and left him on the side while we fixed the cage.

The sunlight began to stream in, and Coach Hedge finally woke up.

I don't know what the hell was wrong with the guy. He immediately started yelling so loud that Jason and Piper woke up and looked like they had one of those falling dreams.

"Coach is awake," Leo chirped.

"I think they know that," I said, yawning as Coach Hedge swung his club to face me.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

"You don't know me?" I asked lazily. "Lydia Castellan."

"Kronos's sister," Coach Hedge deduced. "Grover and Annabeth told me about you."

"Luke Castellan's sister," I corrected him. "And yeah, I hope they did. I told them to."

He stared at me suspiciously, as if wondering whether or not he trusted me. But it seemed my relationship to Annabeth and Grover was enough to mark me as a good little demigod.

Then he turned to Piper and Leo.

"Valdez, McLean, what's going on?" He asked. "We were at the Grand Canyon. The anemoi thuellai were attacking and—" his eyes zeroed in on the storm spirit cage "DIE!"

"Calm down," I said dully, swiping my sword to block his path to the cage and extending my leg so my toes pushed him back. "They're locked up. No fight here. Leo just sprang you from the other cage."

Hedge looked at me indignantly, then down at my sword, which was inches away from his chest.

"Cage?" He asked, pushing the blade away and going back to Leo. "What's going on? Just because I'm a satyr doesn't mean I can't have you doing plank push ups, Valdez!"

"Hardcore," I said, making Piper laugh sheepishly.

"Coach," Jason said, clearing his throat. "Coach— Gleeson— um— whatever you want us to call you. You saved us at the Grand Canyon. You were totally brave."

"Of course I was!" Hedge said.

"The extraction team—" Piper said, nodding to me, "came and took us to Camp Half Blood. We thought we'd lost you. Then we got word the storm spirits had taken you back to their operator... Medea."

"That witch!" Hedge snapped. "Wait— that's impossible. She's mortal. She's dead."

"Not anymore," I said. "Seems she was brought back. I'm not sure how, but it's suspicious to me.

Hedge nodded like he agreed.

"So," he said, "you were sent on a dangerous quest to rescue me. Excellent."

"Nope," I said honestly. "We kind of found you by accident."

"But there are no accidents!" Hedge said. "Not on quests. This was meant to happen. So this is the witch's lair, eh? Why is everything gold?"

Gold.

I looked back around the room, finally realizing everything in it was in fact, made of gold, which explained the strange metal statues.

"No wonder they got so much security," Leo said.

"This isn't Medea's place, Coach," Piper stammered. "It's some rich person's mansion in Omaha. We got away from Medea and crash landed here."

That made me think.

Side note: I'm blessed to be able to think again. My short time with Medea really screwed me over.

Regardless. Rich person. Gold. Greek. I was 99.99% certain I knew where we were, and I didn't like it.

"Wait a second," I said, standing up and holding Slasher out in front of me. "I think... I think we're in King Midas's house."

"What?" Hedge asked.

"Midas," I said. "Gold touch guy."

"But he's mortal, isn't he?" Piper asked nervously. "Or he was? Why—"

She was cut off when one of the doors opened, and out came a pudgy man in a white bathrobe with a golden toothbrush in his mouth.

His white beard was slightly long and his hair was pressed down by a long, old fashioned sleeping cap. When he saw us, he froze, and the toothbrush fell out of his mouth.

"Son?" The old man called. "Lit, come here, please. There are strange people in the throne room."

Seconds later, a young man had entered the room.

He had a cornhuskers shirt and pajama pants on, and he held a sword that looked similar to Slasher, that is to say that it could probably husk more things besides corn.

He had dark curly hair tied back in a bandanna and was very attractive despite the fact his ripped arms and his face were covered in scars.

Attractive.

Problematic.

I hadn't felt my heart flutter like this since Ethan.

I swear, I was gonna scream if he was a bad guy too.

The bad guys are always attractive.

Lit's eyes zeroed in on me, and then narrowed.

"You look familiar," he said immediately.

"Huh?" I said, staring at him. "I'm pretty sure we haven't met."

"No, I don't think we have," he said. "But those eyes..."

I blinked, and cocked my head to the side.

I think I'd remember if I'd met this hottie before.

"Lit, do you know her?" The old man who I was sure was Midas asked. 

"Not directly," he said, narrowing his eyes as if he wasn't sure if he did or not. He put his sword down and began walking over to me. Jason moved forward but I swung Slasher out and the side of it caught him in the chest.

"Wait two seconds," I said, narrowing my eyes at Lit.

He stopped right in front of me, and looked over my face. Then it seemed to click. 

"Of course," he said, looking at me intently, a smile forming on his face." I'd know those eyes anywhere. You're Lydia Castellan, daughter of Hermes. Younger sister of Luke Castellan."

"How do you know him?" I asked. "And how do you know me?"

"Your brother and I... were colleagues," he said. He reached out his hand for me to shake. "Lityerses."

That's when it clicked, and the memories flooded back. The first was from when Luke and I dueled at Mount Tam almost exactly two years ago.   
  


" _You have gotten much, much better," Luke said coldly as Percy pulled Annabeth back._

_We began duel again. "Pity you chose the wrong side. I could have made you great. I have a friend who would very much like to meet you. His sword skills are legend, Lydia— he's known as the Reaper of Men!"_

_I sidestepped and jabbed dangerously close to his chest where the other cut I'd made was._

_"I'm not interested in meeting your screwed up friends, Luke," I snarled_.   
  


The memory shifted to a year ago, before we'd entered the Labyrinth.   
  


" _I've heard about your skill," Quintus had said. "Some say you're the finest swordswoman since the Reaper of Men himself."_

_"Ah that bloke again," I said, waving my hand in the air. "Reaper of Men..."_

_"He was a fine swordsman— is, I suppose, as he has been rumored to be alive," the swordsman said, chuckling slightly at my reaction. "In my professional opinion, he and your brother are very matched in skill. And even so... it's rumored you're better than your brother."_

_"I don't think so," I muttered._

_"Well if it is true, then you could be the greatest swordsman— woman— in the last millenia," he noted. "According to my analysis... you should be able to beat the Reaper of Men in a duel."_

_"Does he have a name?" I exasperated. "Do YOU have a name?"_

_"Ah, Quintus....."_   
  


Then again, to just months ago.   
  


_Demeter looked pleased. "Now this demigod do like. And considering what I've heard of you, Lydia Castellan, you would be a perfect wife for one particular son of mine."_   
  


" _I-I was jealous," Luke said, gasping as he leaned into my lap. "Of you... so young... and so much better." He winced, his lip trembling. "Train... train a lot... please, Lydia.... become the greatest.... then find... The Reaper of Men.... Lityerses.... Lityerses, the son of Midas and Demeter...show him... show him I was right when I said... when I said my baby sister could beat him in a duel..."_

_He began nodding his head. "You can beat him. I know.... you can."_

_"Luke," I breathed, touching his face. "I learned from the best. Without you... I'd know nothing...."_   
  


I was jolted back to reality.  
  


"Oh," I said, taking his hand and shaking it firmly. "Yeah... okay. I've heard of you. Luke mentioned you before."

"You're older than I thought," Lityerses said as he pulled his hand away. "What are you, seventeen?"

"Eighteen," I chirped.

"So, senior in high school?"

"And next year a senior in Medical School," I said proudly.

Lityerses's lip twitched. "Luke did mention that... yes..." he furrowed his eyebrows. "I'm slightly confused. Luke told me his BABY sister could beat him in a duel. I assumed you were much younger, maybe twelve. You are no baby.... you're a woman."

"Hmm," I said, noticing how his eyes traveled up and down my body.

Okay, so girly moment. You won't see a lot of these.

Cute guy is checking me out? Holy shit.

"Now," Midas said, making Lityerses step slightly away so I could see him, "who are you, and why are you here?"

"Let's all put our weapons down," Piper said. "Coach, you first."

"Just one thwack?" Hedge asked.

"No," Piper said, clearly using her charmspeak.

"What about a compromise?" Hedge asked. "I'll kill them first, and if it turns out they were friendly, I'll apologize."

"No!" Piper said.

"Meh," Hedge said, putting down his club. Piper shot me a look but I shook my head.

"I'm not putting my sword down," I said bluntly.

"Lydia!" She chastised.

Resisting the power of her charmspeak, I shook my head. "No. Safety first."

Lityerses's lip twitched again.

King Midas seemed amused. "Well! Since you're here, please sit down!"

Lityerses frowned at this. "Your Majesty—"

"No, no, it's fine, Lit," Midas said. "New land, new customs, they may sit in my presence. After all, they've seen me in my nightclothes. No sense in observing formalities." He put on a forced smile. "Welcome to my humble home. I am King Midas."

I bowed low, but I was the only one.

King Midas moved to sit on his throne, and we sat on the sofas around it. Lityerses stood behind the throne, both hands on his sword. He kept looking at me, and I could tell Leo and Jason were disliking him.

I guess adopting them as my brothers meant they'd be overprotective.

Hedge broke the silence. "Midas, huh? Didn't he die?"

Piper looked at him, her eyes wide. "What our satyr friend means, Your Majesty, is that you're the second mortal we've met who should be— sorry— dead. King Midas lived thousands of years ago."

"Interesting," Midas said. "You know, I think I WAS a bit dead for awhile. Seems like a dream, doesn't it, Lit?"

"A very long dream, Your Majesty," Lityerses said, looking at me with such a curious expression I began to wonder if he was still checking me out or just underestimating me because of how skinny and short I was compared to the others.

Being 5'5 gets you nowhere in this world when the other two people are 5'6 and one is 6'0.

"And yet, now we're here," Midas said. "I'm enjoying myself very much. I like being alive better."

"But how?" Piper asked intently. "You didn't happen to have a patron?"

"Does it matter, my dear?" Midas asked with a sly twinkle in his eyes.

"We could kill them again," Hedge suggested.

"Not helping," Jason said. "Why don't you go outside and stand guard?"

"Or we could just kill them again."

"We won't," I said sharply, fiddling with my sword, which made Lityerses crack a smile. "But Jason— is it even safe to send him outside? You saw the front yard."

"Oh yes!" Midas said. "Sorry about that. But it's lovely stuff, isn't it? Amazing what gold can still buy. Such excellent toys you have in this country!"

He took a remote control out of his bathrobe pocket and pressed a few buttons.

"There," Midas said. "Safe to go out now."

"Fine," Hedge said, glaring at Jason and I. "But if you need me..." he winked, pointed at himself, the hosts, then sliced a finger across his throat.

"Won't be necessary," I said, waving for him to leave.

Once Coach had left, Piper cleared her throat.

"So... you don't know how you got here?" She asked Midas.

"Sort of," Midas said, frowning at Lityerses. "Why did we pick Omaha again? I know it wasn't the weather."

"The oracle," Lityerses said simply.

"Yes! I was told there was an oracle in Omaha," Midas said, shrugging. "Apparently I was mistaken. But it is a rather nice house, isn't it? Lit— short for Lityerses, by the way— horrible name but his mother insisted— Lit has plenty of space to practice his swordplay. He had quite a reputation for that. They called him the Reaper of Men back in the old days. I do believe the only man he didn't kill was... what was his name? Your friend..."

"Luke," Lityerses said, giving me a side glance.

"Ah yes," Midas said. "Lit defeated him fair and square, but they were friends so he spared his life... aha! That boy, Luke, was good, but I fear not good enough."

Then Midas fixated his eyes on me.

"He did say that YOU could beat Lit," he said, although the smile he bared with those words was cruel, unbelieving.

"Luke and Daedalus himself said I could," I said.

"Well we cant take their word for it," Midas said, raising an eyebrow.

"Pfft," I said. This was my time to brag. "Well, the Olympians themselves offered me immortality in August. They offered me the chance to become the goddess of swordfighters."

Lityerses looked highly impressed, but I could tell by the darkness in his eyes I was just becoming a greater challenge.

"Yeah," Leo offered helpfully. "She can kick your butt."

"It'd be a fun match to watch," Midas said happily, nodding to Leo.

"So," Jason said quickly, looking suspiciously at Midas, "all this gold—"

"Are you here for gold, my boy?" Midas asked, his eyes excited. "Please, take a brochure!"

"This?" I asked, holding up a brochure from the coffee table. "This isn't any language that exists on earth."

"Oh yes," Midas said, "I forgot to change them... it's an old dialect that was only spoken for a century... very strange combination of greek and german. My apologies, dear girl!"

He pressed a button and the table sank into the floor, another table with brochures in English appearing in its place.

"You sell gold?" Jason asked.

"No, no," Midas said. "I make it. In uncertain times like these, gold is the wisest investment, don't you think? Governments fall. The dead rise. Giants attack Olympus. But gold retains its value!"

"I've seen that commercial," Leo noted.

"Oh, don't be fooled by cheap imitators!" Midas said. "I assure you, I can beat any price for a serious investor. I can make a wide assortment of gold items at a moment's notice."

"But your Majesty," Piper said, "you gave up the golden touch, didn't you?"

"He never gave it up," I deduced, making Midas look overjoyed. "Gifts like that can't so easily be given up."

"I like her, Lit!" Midas chuckled, making Lityerses look me up and down again.

Gods, if only I could read minds.

"Yes, I still have the touch," Midas continued, "and sometimes still have to reverse my touch. There's no running water in the house because I don't want accidents" he gestured to the statues "but we chose to live next to a river just in case. Occasionally, I'll forget and pat Lit on the back—"

Lityerses moved away, making me laugh lightly. "I hate that."

"I TOLD you I was sorry, son," Midas said. "At any rate, good is wonderful. Why would I ever give up that gift?"

"Well," Piper said, seemingly looking at me for help, "isn't that the point of the story? You learned your lesson after turning your daughter into gold?"

Midas laughed, which made me uncertain of him. "My dear, may I see you backpack for a moment? Toss it here."

Piper hesitated at first, then dumped its contents out and threw it to him. He caught it with ease, and it instantly became gold. Still soft and flexible, but definitely gold.

"Cool," I said as he tossed it to me to observe. The bag seemed to radiate more power.

"The pack is magic now, as well," Midas said. "Go ahead, put your little storm spirit enemies in there."

"Seriously?" Leo asked, clearly now more interested. He took the bag from me and held it up to the cage. He unzipped the bag, making the storm spirits howl. The door of their cage flew open and the backpack sucked them inside, closing itself.

"See?" Midas asked. "My golden touch isn't a curse. I didn't learn any lesson, and life isn't a story, girl. Honestly, my daughter Zoe was much more pleasant as a gold statue. She talked too much. So I turned her back to gold." He pointed to the corner of the room to the statue of a girl with a shocked expression.

"That's horrible!" Piper cried.

"Nonsense, she doesn't mind," Midas said.

"Um, she probably does, but okay," I muttered.

"Besides, if I hadn't learned my lesson, would I have gotten these?"

He pulled off his sleeping cap and I suppressed a laugh as grey donkey ears popped out.

"Oh wow," Leo said, "I didn't need to see that."

"Terrible, isn't it?" Midas sighed. "A few years after the golden touch incident, I judged a music contest between Apollo and Pan, and I declared Pan the winner. Apollo, sore loser, said I must have the ears of an ass, and voilà. This was my reward for being truthful. I tried to keep them a secret. Only my barber knew, but he couldn't help blabbing" Midas pointed at a statue of a bald man in a toga holding a pair of shears. "That's him. He won't be telling anyone's secrets again."

The creepy smile he gave was unnerving, and I was getting the feeling he wasn't some innocent old man.

"You work for the giants, don't you?" I asked.

King Midas waved his hand dismissively. "Well I don't care for the giants myself, of course. But even supernatural armies need to get paid. I do owe my patron a great debt. I tried to explain that to the last group that came through, but they were very unfriendly. Wouldn't cooperate at all."

"Who were they?" I inquired.

"Hunters," Lityerses said with a slight scowl. "Blasted girls from Artemis."

"When?" I demanded, feeling my blood turn hot. "What happened?"

"Few days ago, I think," Lityerses said. "I didn't get to kill them, unfortunately. They were looking for some evil wolves, or something. Said they were following a trail, heading west. Missing demigod— I don't recall."

Percy, of course. And if the Hunters had been here that meant Thalia had too.

"Very unpleasant young ladies, those Hunters," Midas said. "They absolutely refused to be turned into gold. Much of the security system outside I installed to keep that sort of thing from happening again, you know. I don't have time for those who aren't serious investors."

Piper took that as a cue for us to get away. "Well, it's been a great visit. Welcome back to life. Thanks for the gold bag."

"Oh but you can't leave," Midas said. "I know you're not serious investors, but that's all right! I have to rebuild my collection." He stood up, making Leo and Piper step slightly back.

"Don't worry," be said, walking closer, "you don't HAVE to be turned to gold. I give all my guests a choice— join my collection or die at the hands of Lityerses. Really, it's good either way."

"Your Majesty," Piper asked, trying to use her charmspeak, "you can't—"

Midas leapt at her and grabbed her wrist, making her a golden statue. Immediately afterward he made Leo solid metal, which left Jason and I staring at Lityerses.

"Hedge!" Jason yelled. "Need help in here!"

But Hedge didn't charge in.

"No goat to the rescue?" Midas chuckled. "Sad. But don't worry, my boy, it's really not painful. Lit can tell you—"

"I choose combat," I said, which made Midas look surprise. "I choose to fight Lityerses."

"I said you could DIE fighting Lit," Midas said. "But of course, if you wish."

"No, Lydia!" Jason said, looking worried.

"Move Piper and Leo to the couches," I said, staring at him intently. "NOW, Jason."

I brought my sword up, and made Lityerses smile.

"I'm going to enjoy this," he said. "Proving Luke wrong. I'd be winning the bet, at any rate. I might even keep you alive, when I defeat you... you would make a worthy partner... of sorts."

"We'll see if you're worthy to be MY partner," I said. "I'm very picky. And by the way, Luke never lost a bet." Lityerses raised an eyebrow, and his eyes narrowed.

We charged at each other.

Lit was definitely fast— he slashed and sliced quicker than most people— but not faster than I did. I blocked him before he could get to where he was going. Soon, he was dodging strikes from me, and was struggling to keep up.

From the corner of my eye I saw Jason and Midas had begun fighting, Jason holding a javelin in his hands.

Lityerses didn't get distracted by it, because instead he was focusing so much on the duel that he was tiring himself out. I had the luxury of focusing on my surroundings since I was at an advantage. It seemed to finally be dawning on him that he'd greatly underestimated me.

I took the opportunity to use the move I knew best. I faked a jab and hit the bottom of the hilt of Lit's sword, making it fly out of his hand. I put the tip of my sword of the floor and propelled my body to spin in the air horizontally, kicking the blade across the room and sending Lityerses toppling behind the throne. I leapt forward and got onto him, pressing one knee onto his groin and the other on his chest, which kept him pinned down as I moved to press my sword to his throat.

Lityerses breathed heavily, staring at me, his face riddled with mild confusion.

"I win," I said, smirking and pressing Slasher down at a dangerous angle, which made him swallow hard, his Adam's apple moving over the edge of my sword.

I heard the ceiling explode. I snapped my head towards Jason as a lightning bolt ripped through the roof like it was an eggshell, sending sparks of energy off his spear that tore the sofa's to shreds. The ceiling began to crash down, and Lityerses rolled so that his body shielded mine as the chunks of plaster crashed all around us. Then the chandelier broke off and fell onto Midas, pinning him to the floor.

Breathing heavily I pushed Lityerses off me and pointed the sword at him again, looking at Jason, who was now soaked in the freezing rain that was streaming into the mansion.

The statues in the room got drenched, and slowly began to turn back.

"Go!" I said to Jason as Piper and Leo began to turn back. "I'll keep him here."

Jason nodded, and I turned back to Lityerses, only to find him grinning at me.

"What?" I snapped.

"You actually beat me," he said, slowly moving away from my sword.

I couldn't believe it— what had Luke told him? Had he really made me seem like a five year old or something?

"Stay where you are," I said, going closer and sticking the sword in his face.

"I'm not going to hurt you or your friends," Lityerses said, his face sincere, although he leaned away from the sword. "I would like to help, if you'd let me."

"You're working with the giants!" I said. "You'd stab us all in the back when we turned away."

Lityerses looked at me and shook his head.

"Luke knew this day would come," he said. "He confided in me— shortly before allowing Kronos to take over him— that he regretted it. He told me that the first chance I got I needed to find a way to make things right. That's when he told me about you. See, the Hunters would never have accepted me, but you... I could accompany you."

"You're a brilliant actor," I said, narrowing my eyes at him. "Truly you are. But I don't believe you."

"I swear on the River Styx that he said that," Lityerses said, looking intently at me. "And I swear on the River Styx that I will help you and not the giants from now on."

"Do you owe Luke something, or what?" I asked. "You don't need to pretend and make false promises."

"I want a chance to redeem myself," Lityerses said. "I can help you all finish this quest. I don't have inside information to offer because it all went to my father, but I can offer my swordfighting skills. I swear to you on the River Styx I do want to help you."

My chest tightened.

Ethan had tried to do the same thing. Make things right.

It was too suspicious.

"Why?" I scoffed, rolling my eyes, and seeing Lityerses really didn't look like he was kidding.

"Consider it me fulfilling your brother's final wish for me," Lityerses said. "And doing something for the good of humanity. Maybe even to give myself a better life. I'd be on the right side of the battlefield, beside someone who I'd like to get to know. We could be dueling partners, Lydia. Consider it. We'd become incredible."

I stared at him, unsure what to say.

I didn't think I could trust him, even if he had sworn so much on the poor River Styx.

"The statues will be turning back soon," he warned. "Take me with you. I promise you I'm truly trying to help you and I swear on the River Styx I'm not going to stab you in the back."

"Jesus Christ," I said. "That's a lot of swearing."

His lip twitched into a smile, and he shrugged.

I rolled my eyes and put my sword down. "Grab your weapon and follow me. Anything funny and you'll be in Tartarus before you can say 'sorry.'"

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Lityerses said as he ducked down to grab his sword.

I cautiously stepped forward, angling myself so I could still see Lityerses in case he tried to behead me when I wasn't facing him.

"Lit!" Midas roared as we passed him. "Get me out of here!"

"Sorry father," Lityerses said with a smirk. "I think I'll be leaving you there."

"Don't be a fool, son!" Midas snarled. "That Castellan boy did this to you, didn't he? I knew he wasn't entirely sure about giving himself up to Kronos the minute he asked to talk to you alone! I can see weakness, boy, and he was full of it."

My chest tightened.

"My brother," I said scathingly, "was a hero. You could never say that about yourself."

Midas yelled furiously, and I growled, storming out of the house just as the most recent statues returned to life.

"The river is down that way," Lityerses said, point due west. "We have to walk about half a mile. I hope your friend finds it."

"Mhm," I said, not looking at him.

We walked in silence for a bit.

"I'm not falling for you," I said bluntly. "I refuse to."

I had said the same thing to Ethan when he had started showing signs of liking me.

And look how well that went.

"Really?" Lityerses said, raising his eyebrow and grinning. "Interesting, I never mentioned anything about—"

"I just needed to say it out loud," I said, feeling my cheeks turn red. "It's no secret that most dueling partners end up falling for each other."

"You sound like you've experienced it."

My heart ached when I thought of Ethan again. His promise to help us win. It'd backfired, and he'd died.

I cleared my throat and looked away. "It's been happening for millenia everywhere."

"True," Lityerses said, noticing I'd faltered. "I have experienced it myself." He leaned closer. "I met Ethan Nakamura, you know. He could not stop talking about you."

"O-Oh," I said, swallowing hard.

I had not expected that.

"How is he doing?" He asked. "Luke told me how he wasn't sure Ethan would stay on his side. Did he ever switch?"

Clearly he had no idea what'd happened.

"Ethan died," I said quietly. "He uh... he promised me he'd help our side. He died a hero."

He frowned. "I'm... sorry." He tried to change the subject. "I was merely trying to say that... I feel attracted to you. So there."

I rolled my eyes and managed a small smile. "So you WERE checking me out."

"Obviously, what do you expect? Have you seen yourself?"

I tried to pretend that didn't make my insides play Tetris.

"Let me be honest with you," Lityerses said, tucking his hands in his pockets. "When Luke mentioned you I assumed you might be a talented little kid and thought 'aw, adorable, some twelve year old is going to try and disarm me.'"

I snorted.

"But now," he continued, "I see you are a brilliant and very capable woman."

"Um... thanks," I said, feeling my cheeks redden.

"I always questioned my purpose," Lityerses said. "Like Hamlet, if you've read it."

"You read?"

He rolled his eyes. "What, do I look dumb?"

"No," I said. "You have a reputation for being a murderous sword fighter. I just assumed you wouldn't have time. Or that you wouldn't like it."

He laughed. "I love to read. It's not like I have anyone to train with here. I always wondered whether I was doing the right thing, following my father. I saw my mother once, about half a year ago. She advised me to keep an open mind. She said she respected whatever decision I made, but that she knew I was wise enough to know the difference between right and wrong."

I honestly couldn't imagine Demeter talking about anything other than cereal.

"I think what she told me was enough to make me realize that Luke was right about being on the wrong side," he said. "And now meeting you, well, I think I could learn from you."

"How?"

"You had a brother and a boyfriend serving the Titans yet you did not switch. You have a strong will and you are intelligent. I could learn from you."

I shrugged. "Maybe."

"And," he added, "I think you'll come to see me as a worthy dueling partner."

"We'll see," I said, trying not to look at him.

He leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"I won't ask you admit it just yet," he mumbled. "But trust me, Lydia, if I've begun to fall for you this quickly then you'll be falling for me by the time this quest is over."

I tensed, and my chest tightened. "No. D-Don't do that. Don't say that...."

"Do what?" He asked innocently.

"Be all romantic with me!" I said, my eyes now stinging with tears, feeling all my lingering and repressed emotions regarding Ethan resurfacing. "I-I don't do love, okay? I don't. I-I'm like— cursed. I have only told two people outright that I loved them and they both died. I don't do this. Ever."

He frowned. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Please, don't get all flirty with me," I begged, wiping my eyes. "I-I can't do this again. I'm not okay. I'm just.... just getting over someone. Someone who I had very strong feelings for. Don't get ideas into your head. I'm not going to just fall in love with you."

He nodded slowly. "Alright. I'm sorry. We can be friends...."

I ignored him and simply began to walk alongside the river, hoping we'd find Jason and the others soon.

I didn't want to be alone with my thoughts and consider everything Lityerses had said.

Attractive.

Skilled.

Intellectual.

This was literally Ethan all over again.

I didn't know if I could deal with a broken heart again.

I was not going to let myself fall for Lityerses. Nope. Not at all.


	37. We Meet The Wolf King

When Lityerses and I arrived to the river bank, Jason had just pulled Piper out of the water and closer to where Hedge had started a campfire.

"Damn it," I said, sprinting forward and touching Piper's head. "Why did you dunk her completely in?"

"She wouldn't turn back," Jason said, looking pale. "Nothing was working."

I tossed my sword aside and yanked a kit out of my pack, taking her temperature.

"Hypothermia, lovely," I said, tossing the kit aside. I rubbed my hands together then pressed them on Piper's forehead. They glowed for about ten seconds then it faded, and I staggered back.

"Woah—" Lityerses said, keeping my from collapsing.

It seemed Jason and Leo had just noticed him.

"What is he doing here?" Leo said sharply, his eyes flickering dangerously to where Lityerses had grabbed my waist.

"He's coming with us," I said, swatting his hands away and slumping to the floor.

Piper looked at him then at me. "Okay. So how the heck did you decide that?"

"I have my reasons," I said, not really in the mood to explain everything.

Coach Hedge scoffed. "If it's because you think he's 'hot' or something—"

"No, it's not," I snapped, tucking the kit back into my pack. "Just trust my judgement."

Jason didn't seem convinced, and looked up at Lityerses. "What, did you do this in exchange for her not to kill you? Because she beat you fair and square."

Lityerses's jaw tightened, and his eyes darkened, if that was even possible. "I don't need to beg for mercy, demigod," he said. "I do not wish to work for my father's patron anymore. I haven't wanted to for a long time. Luke convinced me to check myself. I did. I pledge myself to your cause. I have inside information that may be useful. I do not wish to harm you— any of you."

Jason looked at me. He studied my face, and I could tell he trusted I'd made a rational decision.

Leo however, was still uncertain. "So you're going to help us now? What's in it for you?"

"A sense of morality and worth," Lityerses said, setting his sword down. "Do I need another reason? I don't want to be damned to the Fields of Asphodel again. I want to make something of myself."

Hedge snorted. "Hard to do when you serve the giants."

"Hey!" I hissed. "Stop it! He's trying to be a better person, and we're going to support that!"

"Don't let him fool you," Hedge muttered. "Grover told me about the Nakamura boy."

My fists balled up. "Ethan changed. He did. Jason and I are in charge of this quest, and Jason trusts me, so we are giving Lityerses the benefit of the doubt. If he proved to be untrustworthy, I will not hesitate to send him to Tartarus. Do I make myself clear?"

Piper and Jason nodded. Leo still didn't look too pleased, and Hedge looked especially suspicious, but both muttered their agreement.

Lityerses sat cautiously beside me.

"So," Jason said, "we need to get closer to California. I was waiting for Lydia to return to suggest it but... I can harness the storm spirits to take us closer. I think Colorado might be nice."

I nodded. "That's a good plan. But can we risk the spirits escaping?"

Jason bit his lip. "That's a concern, yes."

"Well," I said, looking down. "If you have a set location I can TRY to teleport us there. I've only done it once with another person and it worked fine. Made it from Pennsylvania to New York with a whole lot of luggage."

Hedge laughed. "So you were the special shuttle that took Pollux to UPenn."

"Mhm," I said. "I can try."

Jason winced. "There six of us total. Are you sure...?"

"Yes," I said. "I'll be weak for awhile after but it's the only way we can move fast without risking the storm spirits escaping."

Jason nodded. "Alright."

Lityerses stared at me curiously as Coach Hedge put out the fire.

"Everyone has to link hands," I said. "And firmly. None of that laced fingers bullshit."

Piper and Jason were quick to give a firm grasp.

"It's going to feel like you're being sucked into a vacuum but you CAN'T let go, okay?"

They all nodded and we linked hands.

Leo wasn't too happy about having to hold Lityerses's hand, but he swallowed back whatever rude comment he was going to make.

"Pikes Peak," Jason said, furrowing his eyebrows. "I can sense the wind trail passing through there. Please and thank you."

I concentrated, willing all my energy to be put into the jump.

Seconds later we landed there, all crashing into the grass in the middle of a storm.

"Ouch," Piper squeaked as her knee hit a rock.

I sat up, and blinked.

"Did we make it?" I mumbled, probably sounding like I was drunk.

"Lydia you worry me," Jason said, shaking his head. "But yeah, seems like we made it."

Lityerses made himself useful and put up a tent and started another fire while the Coach fed me ambrosia. No one seemed anxious to talk to him.

"Alright," the Coach said. "Aeolus's floating palace should be anchored above us, right at the peak. This is one of his favorite spots to dock."

"Okay, that's why I sensed the trail here then," Jason said.

"Weren't the Hunters heading west?" Piper asked. "They could be around here."

Jason rubbed his forearm as if the tattoos were bothering him. "I don't see how anyone could survive on the mountain right now. This storm is pretty bad. It's already the evening before the solstice, but we don't have much choice except to wait out the storm here, do we?"

"We'll wait it out, yes," I said. "But don't underestimate the Hunters. They're very resourceful. I say we wait for it to die down. If it doesn't then we'll just go up there."

Jason nodded and put his arms around Piper to keep her warm, and Leo brought out some cooking supplies and started frying burger patties on an iron skillet.

"You okay?" Lityerses asked, scooting closer to me.

"I'm fine," I said, not looking at him. "Why do you ask?"

"You teleported. I didn't even know children of Hermes could do that."

"I'm fine," I repeated. "And I'm the only one who can. I have more powers than usual."

I started telling him more about my powers while the others listened in, apparently not too suspicious of him anymore.

Lityerses was a good listener. He sat and took in everything I said, not interrupting me at all.

"That's a rarity," he said. "You're rare. I'm almost certain that the reason you turned out so powerful was your mother."

"My mother?" I asked.

"Luke told me about her. See, most mortal women who catch the eye of a god are perfectly sane, and have no illness. The children inherit their powers solely from their godly parent. But your mother had power radiating in her from her encounter with the oracle, and you inherited it, which made it so you got nearly ALL of your father's traits. Even out of the other gods— none of their children have that many of their parent's powers."

"Huh," I said. "I never thought of it that way."

"I reckon Hermes knew," he said. "He knew you'd come out incredibly powerful. I think he took the risk at being with your mother a second time even when she was sick because he knew a special person to Luke might tie with his fate and make a difference."

"So you're saying that because he saw Luke would host Kronos and die, he wagered that having someone like a full sibling might be the factor that weighed into the decision?"

"Exactly. And that's what ended up happening, right? It was because of you that Luke had doubts and had a clear enough mind to defeat Kronos. You were the vital instrument in making sure his fate was fulfilled but the RIGHT way."

"I hadn't considered that," I said quietly. "I never really wondered why my dad had chosen to make another baby with my mom even when she was sick. I thought it'd just happened. But maybe he did it intentionally...."

Lityerses nodded, and I half smiled.

I hadn't been looking for an explanation regarding my powers, but now that I had one, I was satisfied.

When Leo finished frying a tofu patty for Piper, he began telling us about a dream he had about his dad, and the conversation that'd followed.

"I don't understand," Piper said. "If demigods and gods have to work together to kill the giants, why would the gods stay silent? If they need us

—"

"Ha," said Coach Hedge. "The gods hate needing humans. They like to be needed by humans, not the other way around. Things will have to get a whole lot worse before Zeus admits he made a mistake closing Olympus."

"Coach," Piper said, "that was almost an intelligent comment."

The nerve of this girl, Jesus Christ.

Hedge huffed. "What? I am intelligent! I'm not surprised you cupcakes haven't heard of the Giant War. The gods don't like to talk about it. Bad PR to admit you need mortals to help beat an enemy. That's just embarrassing."

"There is more, though," Jason said. "When I dreamt about Hara in her cage, she said Zeus was acting unusual paranoid. And Hera— she said she went to those ruined because a voice has been speaking in her head. What if someone is influencing the gods, like Medea influenced us?"

I winced. I hadn't yet told them my suspicions about it being Gaea.

Leo set hamburger buns on the skillet to toast. "Yeah, Hephaestus said something similar, like Zeus was acting weird or than usual. But what bothered me was the stuff my dad didn't say. Like a couple of times he was talking about the demigods, and how he had so many kids and all. I don't know. He acted like getting the greatest demigods together was going to be almost impossible— like Hera was trying, but it was a really stupid thing to do, and there was some secret Hephaestus wasn't supposed to tell me."

"Chiron was the same way back at camp," Jason said. "He mentioned a sacred oath not to discuss— something. Lydia I think, figured some part of it out, but she can't tell us."

"No, I can't," I said. "I know what's going on but not the oath specifically. Sorry."

Jason half smiled. "It's fine. Coach, you know anything about that?"

"Nah, I'm just a satyr. They don't tell us the juicy stuff. Especially not an old—" he stopped himself.

"An old guy like you?" Piper asked. "But you're not that old, are you?"

"Hundred and six," the coach muttered.

Leo coughed. "Say what?"

"Don't catch your panties on fire, Valdez. That's just fifty three in human years. Still, yeah, I made some enemies on the Council of Cloven Elders. I've been a protector a long time. But they started saying I was getting unpredictable. Too violent. Can you imagine?"

"Wow," Piper said, her lip twitching. "That's hard to believe."

Coach scowled. "Yeah, then finally we get a good war going with the Titans, and do they put me on the front lines? No! They send me as far away as possible— the Canadian frontier, can you believe it? Then after the war, they put me out to pasture. The Wilderness School. Bah! Like I'm too old to be helpful just because I like playing offense. All those flower pickers on the Council— talking about nature."

"You know how corrupted the Council has always been," I muttered. "They've only just started reform since Grover joined."

"He's a good kid," Coach mumbled.

"Wait," Piper said. "I thought satyrs liked nature."

"Shoot, I love nature," Hedge said. "Nature means big things killing and eating little things! And when you're a— you know— vertically challenged satyr like me, you get in good shape, you carry a big stick, and you don't take nothing from no one! That's nature." Hedge snorted indignantly. "Flower-pickers. Anyway, I hope you got something vegetarian cooking, Valdez. I don't do flesh."

"Yeah, Coach," he said. "Don't eat your cudgel. I got more tofu patties here. Piper's a vegetarian too. I'll throw them on in a second."

We were silent as Leo finished making the food and distributed it to us.

"Thank you, Chef Leo," I said, taking an enormous bite out of the burger.

"This kid can cook," Lityerses said, looking like he was really enjoying the food. "I can't cook to save my life."

"I can cook, but badly," I said. "If it has set instructions I'll just follow them. It's like a lab experiment, easy. But I can't make things off the top of my head."

He chuckled. "Well I wouldn't expect so. You've probably been too busy fighting and doing illegal school to learn how."

I smirked slightly, and looked at him. "So. Nebraska Cornhuskers. Like the university?"

He nodded. "I got my BA in Agricultural Science there, thanks to my mother. I came in with junior standing because of her influence. Also was part of their D-1 fencing team."

"Interesting," I said. "What do you want to do with it?"

"Well being an Agricultural Lawyer is the best job I can get in the field, and with some more college I will be good to go. I'm actually about to start a semester at NYU to finish getting my law degree. I'll graduate this May."

"Impressive," I said. "You really thought this out."

"I have nothing better to do," he said. "Since I'd been questioning my work with the giants I wanted to have a backup in case I left. Seems I'll need it now if I don't get killed. As soon as they find out I betrayed them... they'll be out for my blood."

I winced. "It'll be alright. Don't worry. You'll get your career."

"I hope so," he said. "I don't want to live off gold forever. I want my own money. Maybe then I can take you out on a proper date."

I flushed red. "N-No flirting, remember?"

"Sorry," he said, although he didn't look sorry at all. His eyes flickered mischievously.

"We need to talk," Piper said suddenly. "I don't want to hide anything from you guys anymore."

She began to tell us about a dream vision she'd had involving a giant and her father been taken hostage. She told us how she would've been forced to cooperate, but she had resisted.

"Enceladus," Jason mumbled. "You mentioned that name before."

Coach whistled. "Big giant. Breathes fire. Not somebody I'd want barbecuing my daddy goat."

Jason gave him a 'shut up' look. "Piper, go on. What happened next?"

"I—I tried to reach my dad but all I got was his personal assistant and she told me not to worry."

"Jane," I recalled. "Medea is controlling her."

Piper nodded. "To get my dad back, I had to sabotage this quest. I didn't realize it would be the four of us. Then after we started the quest, Enceladus sent me another warning. He told me he wanted Jason and Leo dead. He wants me to lead you to a mountain. I don't know exactly which one, but it's in the Bay Area. I have to be there by noon on the solstice tomorrow. An exchange."

"Mount Diablo," Lityerses said automatically. "He's at Mount Diablo."

We were silent.

"God, Piper, I'm so sorry," Jason whispered.

"No kidding," Leo said. "You've been carrying this around for a week? Piper we could help you."

"Why don't you yell at me or something?" She shrieked. "I was ordered to kill you!"

"You've constantly saved our lives," I said. "We trust you."

"You don't get it!" Piper said. "I've probably just killed my dad, telling you this."

"No," Lityerses said. "Enceladus will keep your father as leverage until the solstice has passed to see if you show up."

"He wants you to divert the quest to the mountain, then?" Coach deduced.

Piper nodded.

"And we established Hera is at the Wolf House in Glenn Ellen," I said. "That's 54 miles from Mount Diablo. It's actually farther away from us than the Mountain."

"Well that means Piper has to choose to either rescue her dad or rescue Hera," Coach said.

Lityerses cleared his throat. "Enceladus will only kill your father if he knows you went after Hera. And even then he wouldn't let you go. None of you. He'll kill you all. Obviously you four are half of the demigods from the Great Prophecy."

"So we have no choice," Piper said miserably. "We have to save Hera, or the giant king gets unleashed. That's our quest. The world depends on it. And Enceladus seems to have ways of watching me. He isn't stupid. He'll know if we change course and go the wrong way. He'll kill my dad."

"We're not going to let that happen," I said firmly. "We can save both. We had a quest a long time ago where we had to save Artemis from the titan Atlas. We managed to save Annabeth at the same time, since she'd been kidnapped. I think we can do it."

"But we don't have time!" Piper cried. "Besides, it's a trap!"

"We're your friends, beauty queen," Leo said. "We're not going to let your dad die. We just gotta figure out a plan."

"Either way the Bay Area has a bad reputation for demigods," Lityerses said. "Mount Tamalpais has Mount Othrys sitting over it."

"Don't remind me of that place," I said, shivering. "That's where I got this scar. And I almost died there like a billion times."

Jason flinched. "What happened at Mount Othrys?"

"My brother had a new palace be built there last summer," I said. "He was going to have it be Kronos's fortress once he let him take over his body. When Kronos marched on Olympus he left Krios, his brother, in charge. After Kronos was defeated we found the palace in ruins. We assumed it crumbled on its own."

"No," Jason said, furrowing his eyebrows. "That's not what happened."

Suddenly an idea popped into my head.

Another camp. Possibly in California— on the opposite end of the United States.

What it they'd been the ones that defeated the army there?

I kept my mouth shut. I knew I couldn't put out that theory just yet.

"What do you mean, Jason?" Leo asked.

"I—" Jason began. But then he tensed. "Did you hear that?"

For a second, nothing. Then howls piercing through the night.

"Wolves," I said, leaping up. "They're close."

I whipped out Slasher, and the others followed my lead, extracting their own weapons.

I cautiously stepped out of the tent and saw that outside, wolves edged nearer to us— black beasts bigger than Great Danes, with ice and snow caked in their fur, their red eyes glowing.

The wolf in front was almost as tall as a horse, his mouth stained as if he just made a fresh kill.

However, when he saw Lityerses, he bared his teeth, and some of the wolves snarled, now forming a semi-circle around us.

"Here's the plan," the Coach said. "I'll kill them all and you guys escape."

"Very funny," I muttered.

The silhouette of a man waded through the pack.

"Stick together," Jason mumbled. "And Hedge, no crazy stuff. We're not leaving you or anyone behind."

The wolves parted and the man stepped into the firelight. His thin pale skin was pulled tight over his skull. His teeth were sharpened like fangs. He was lithe and muscular like a distance runner, and he wore different furs on him.

"So it's true," he hissed. "A child of Aphrodite. A son of Hephaestus. A daughter of Hermes. A faun. And a child of Rome, of Lord Jupiter, no less. All together, without killing each other. And how interesting, it seems the son of Midas has joined them. Or perhaps I should call him a son of Demeter."

Lityerses tensed beside me.

"You're Lycaon," I said, narrowing my eyes.

"Very good," he said, licking his lips. "I am Lycaon, king of the wolves. And pack is hungry."

I tossed my sword aside, and dug in my belt, extracting a silver knife.

The wolves growled and backed slightly away.

"I defeated the monster Geryon with one throw of my knife," I said, glaring at them. "I can do the same to you."

Some of the monsters shifted uncomfortably, as if they knew of Geryon, the monster with three chests from the Labyrinth.

"Leave," Jason said fiercely. "There's no food for you here."

"Unless you want tofu burgers," Leo offered.

Lycaon bared his fangs and looked at Jason. "If I had my way, I'll kill you first, son of Jupiter. Your father made me what I am. I was the powerful mortal king of Arcadia, with fifty fine sons, and Zeus slew them all with his lightning bolts."

"For good reason," I spat. "You invited Zeus to dinner. And you weren't sure if it was really Zeus so you tried to feed him human flesh. Zeus got outraged—"

"And killed my sons!" Lycaon howled. The wolves behind him howled too.

"—so Zeus turned him into a wolf," Piper finished for me. "They call werewolves lycanthropes, named after him, the first werewolf. King of wolves."

"Lycaon," Jason said, noticing Coach Hedge had been about to say something. "You said you wanted to kill me first but...?"

"Sadly, Child of Rome, you are spoken for. Since this one"— he wagged his claws at Piper— "has failed to kill you, you are to be delivered alive to the Wolf House. One of my compatriots has asked for the honor of killing you herself."

"Who?" Jason said.

The wolf king snickered. "Oh, a great admirer of yours. Apparently you made quite an impression on her. She will take care of you soon enough, and I really cannot complain. Spilling your blood at the Wolf House should mark my new territory quite well. Lupa will think twice about challenging my pack."

I hoped he didn't mean Medea.

"You're going to leave now," Piper said, "before we destroy you."

Lycaon's red eyes crinkled with humor. "A brave try, girl. I admire that. Perhaps I'll make your end quick. Only the son of Jupiter is needed alive. The rest of you, I'm afraid, are dinner." He looked at Lityerses. "And you, son of Demeter, will be my personal meal. Your traitorous blood is mine to spill."

I stepped forward. "You are not killing anyone without going through me."

"Please," Lycaon said, "you have one silver knife. You cannot hold off my pack with that."

Leo reacted the fastest. He threw a glass bottle and it shattered on the ground, splattering liquid all over the wolves— the unmistakable smell of gasoline. He shot a burst of fire at the puddle, and a wall of flames erupted.

Wolves yelped and retreated. Several caught fire and had to run back into the snow.

I took my shot, and threw my knife. It sailed through the air, beheading four wolves before returning back into my hand. I lifted it to show it was now drenched in blood. Lycaon shifted uneasily.

Several wolves tried to come closer. But every time, Leo shot a new wave of fire from his hands. Every effort seemed to make him a little more tired, and the gasoline was already dying down.

"I can't summon anymore gas!" Leo warned. Then his face turned red. "Wow, that came out wrong. I mean the burning kind. Gonna to take the tool belt awhile to recharge."

I stepped forward again, flicking the knife in my hands.

Lityerses, however, tugged me back, and moved forward with only his sword.

Lycaon looked at me murderously, and then bared his fangs at Lityerses. "You have made a grave mistake, boy, betraying our patron."

"Your patron," Lityerses snapped.

He raised his sword.

There was a sudden ripping sound cutting through the wind—like a piece of tearing cardboard. A long stick sprouted from the neck of the nearest wolf— the shaft of a silver arrow. The wolf writhed and fell, melting into a puddle of shadows.

More arrows. More wolves fell. The pack broken confusion. And arrow caught Lycaon in the shoulder, and the wolf king staggered.

"Curse them!" Lycaon yelled. He growled at his pack to retreat and the wolves turned and ran. "This isn't over, boy!" He snapped to Jason.

The wolf king disappeared into the night.

A smaller white wolf appeared from a bush and howled, followed by a troop of hunters in silver parkas.

"Phoebe, stay with me!" The tallest one called. "The rest of you, follow Lycaon. We can't lose him now. I'll catch up to you."

She walked forward and removed her hood, smiling at me. "Lydia!"

"Thalia!" I threw my arms around her.

"You're Thalia," Piper murmured.

Thalia pulled away from me. Her eyes flickered to Lityerses but she said nothing, then looked at Piper. "Do I know you?"

Piper was about to reply when Jason stepped forward. "Thalia. I'm Jason, your brother."


	38. Thalia Gives Me The Talk

For a minute, Jason and Thalia faced each other, absolutely stunned.

I could see Lityerses was completely confused, and waiting for them to like, react or something.

Then Thalia rushed forward and threw her arms around Jason.

"My gods! She told me you were dead!" She gripped his face and seemed to be examining everything about it. "Thank Artemis, it IS you. That little scar on your lip— you tried to eat a stapler when you were two!"

Piper and I snorted.

Hedge nodded like he approved of Jason's taste. "Staplers— excellent source of iron."

"W-Wait," Jason stammered. "Who told you I was dead? What happened?"

At the cave entrance, the white wolf barked, and I understood her to say, "You don't have much time to talk— make it quick!"

"She's right," Thalia mumbled, nodding to me. "But we have to talk. You three—" she pointed at Leo, Piper, and Hedge— "go to Phoebe. She'll get you warm and heal any injuries you may have."

Leo nodded and led the others out.

Thalia patted the spot beside her for me to sit.

"Um... what about me?" Lityerses asked cautiously.

Thalia seemed to just remember he was there. She blinked. "You can go with Phoebe too—" she looked at me and seemed to make a decision.

"Actually you know what? Stay."

I shot her a confused look but didn't complain. Lityerses seemed really confused as to why she let him stick around but he stayed quiet and sat next to me.

Jason and Thalia didn't immediately begin talking. They just stared at each other.

"So," Jason said at last, "Thalia... what happened to our family? Who told you I was dead?"

Thalia tugged at the silver bracelet on her wrist. "Do you remember anything?"

Jason shook his head. "I woke up three days ago on a bus with Leo and Piper."

I drew a deep breath and looked at Thalia. "Hera stole his memories."

Thalia tensed. "Hera? How do you know that?"

Jason began to explain our quest— the prophecy at camp, Hera getting imprisoned, the giant taking Piper's dad, and the winter solstice deadline. When he got to what'd happened in Omaha though, he faltered.

"Now you're here," Thalia noted, looking at Lityerses.

"Uh... yeah," he said. I could tell that now, Thalia intimidated him, although I wasn't sure why.

Thalia did seem to know though, and her lip twitched. "Well if Lydia trusts you... well I wouldn't doubt her judgment. She's hardly ever wrong about things that matter."

"I do want to help," Lityerses insisted. "For the past two years I've been back in the mortal world I just... I haven't enjoyed helping my father. I didn't know what to do until I met Luke and once he told me his true feelings about his predicament... I knew my choices. Either stay with my father and contribute to something I had no passion for or leave, and help stop it. I just... I didn't have a reason to leave until—"

"Until you met Lydia because she reminded you of Luke," Thalia said, although I sensed the response was not what she was actually thinking. "And that was your opening to switch sides."

He nodded. "I-I've already sworn a lot on the River Styx today but I mean it— I want to help and I'm not going to betray anyone here."

Thalia looked him over. "Like I said, if Lydia trusts you, that's good enough for me." She looked back at Jason. "So Hera's been... what, hiding you all these years?"

"I don't know." Jason brought out a photo from his pocket— the one of Thalia. "She left me just enough memory to recognize your face."

Thalia looked at the picture and her expression softened. "I'd forgotten about that. I left it in Cabin One, didn't I?"

"Yeah... I think Hera wanted for us to meet. I sensed Pikes Peak was important— and I had to come here. Like I knew you and Aeolus were both close by. Is that crazy?"

"Jason," she replied, "when you're dealing with the gods, nothing is too crazy. But you can't trust Hera, especially since we're children of Zeus. She hates all children of Zeus."

"But she said something about Zeus giving her my life as a peace offering. Does that make any sense."

The color drained from Thalia's face. "Oh gods... mother wouldn't have..."

"What?" Jason asked.

Thalia's features seemed to grow older in the firelight, like her immortality was fading. "Jason, I'm not quite sure how to say this. Our mom wasn't exactly stable."

Jason flinched. "Like... like Lydia's mom?"

"No," Thalia said quickly, looking sideways at me. "Not... not like Lydia's mom. Our mother— she caught Zeus's eye because she was a television actress, and she was beautiful, but she didn't handle the fame well. She drank, pulled stupid stunts. She was always in the tabloids. She could never get enough attention. Even before you were born she and I argued all the time. She knew Dad was Zeus, and I think it was too much for her to take. It was like the ultimate achievement for her to attract the lord of the sky, and she couldn't accept it when he left. The thing about gods... well they don't hang around."

Jason didn't seem to know what to say.

Thalia took his hand. "When I was about seven, Zeus started visiting Mom again. I think he felt bad about wrecking her life, and he seemed— different somehow. A little older and sterner, more fatherly toward me. For awhile, Mom improved. She loved having Zeus around, bringing her presents, causing the sky to rumble. She always wanted more attention. That's the year you were born. Mom... well I never got along with her, but you gave me a reason to hang around. You were so cute.

"And I didn't trust Mom to look after you. Of course, Zeus eventually stopped coming by again. He probably couldn't stand Mom's demands anymore, always pestering him to let her visit Olympus, or to make her immortal or eternally beautiful. When he left for good, Mom got more and more unstable. That was about the time monsters started attacking me. Mom blamed Hera. She claimed the goddess was coming after you too— that Hera had barely tolerated my birth, but two demigod children from the same family was a big insult. Mom even said she hadn't wanted to name you Jason, but Zeus insisted as a way to appease Hera because she liked that name. I didn't know what to believe."

I looked over at Thalia. I didn't want to tell her Luke had told me all this ages ago, so I pretended not to know, and asked a question I knew Jason had on his mind. "How did you guys get separated?"

Thalia squeezed his hand. "If I'd known you were alive... gods things would've been so different. But when you were two, Mom packed us in a car for a family vacation. We drove up north toward a park she wanted to show us. It was strange because she never took us anywhere and she was acting super nervous. I was holding your hand, walking toward you toward this big building in the middle of the park and... Mom told me to go back to the car and get a picnic basket. I didn't want to leave you alone with her, but it was only for a few minutes."

She drew a shaky breath. "When I came back... Mom was kneeling on the stone steps, hugging herself and crying. She said you were gone and that Hera had claimed you and you were as good as dead. I thought she'd lost her mind. I ran all over the place, looking for you, but you'd just vanished. She had to drag me away, kicking and screaming. For the next few dats I went hysterical. I called the police on her and they questioned her for a long time. Afterward we fought. She told me I'd betrayed her, that I should support her, like she was the only one who mattered. Finally I couldn't stand it anymore. I ran away, and I never went back, not even when Mom died a few years ago. I only ever told Luke about you."

"Chiron knew." Jason's voice sounded far away. "When I got to camp, he told me I should be dead."

"That doesn't make sense," Thalia insisted. "I never told him."

"Thalia," I said, patting her shoulder, "it's Chiron. He knows everything."

She half smiled.

"But where have I been?" Jason said. "How could I missing all that time? And the Roman stuff..."

Thalia frowned. "Roman stuff?"

I winced. "Jason speaks Latin. He calls gods by their Roman names. And—"

"And Lydia knows why," Jason butted in. "But she isn't allowed to tell anyone."

Thalia flinched, and looked at me. "That... makes sense. Latin. Zeus sometimes spoke Latin."

"You think he was in his Roman aspect, then?" Jason asked. "And that's why I think of myself as a son of Jupiter?"

"Possibly," Thalia said. She looked at me. "I think... I might know... too. Or I have a theory based on what one Huntress told me about half a year ago— before the battle. I'll talk to you, Lydia, and if I'm wrong... well I'll ask Artemis."

I nodded, but then frowned. "She's still talking to you? Most of the gods have gone silent."

"Artemis follows her own rules," Thalia said. "She has to be careful to make sure Zeus doesn't fond out. She's the one who set us on the trail of Lycaon. She said we'd find a lead to Percy on the way."

"Have you found anything yet?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

She shook her head. "No. But we won't stop looking." She then looked at Jason and Lityerses. "Now if you could please excuse us— I need to talk to Lydia about something private."

Lityerses almost immediately got up and left, but Jason lingered behind a bit.

"You'll probably have to leave after this, right?" He asked Thalia.

"Nah," she said. "I'll take you to Aeolus's palace first."

"If you can't it's okay," Jason said, looking somewhat distressed.

"Oh please," Thalia said. "I haven't had a brother in years. I think I can stand a few minutes with you before you get annoying. I'll see you in a bit."

He smiled and exited, leaving Thalia and I alone in the tent.

"The son of Midas," she said, her lips curling into a smile. "A swordfighter. I'm not surprised."

"Shut up." I scowled and crossed my arms. "It doesn't mean anything. He wants to help and I think we shouldn't restrict that. Ethan wanted to do the same. I don't want someone else dying on my watch because they didn't have proper guidance for doing the right thing."

Thalia half-smiled. "Well he definitely likes you. I can tell."

"He knows not to be all flirty," I muttered. "I told him I don't do relationships."

"That's not going to stop him from trying. He looks at you like you're an angel."

"Well I'm a Lydia."

"Oh don't pretend you don't understand what I'm saying! The guy likes you and he's going to want to date you."

"So?" I said. "It doesn't matter because I don't want to date him."

"Your face is red, Lydia. You think he's attractive."

I blew air out of my mouth. "That doesn't mean I want to date him!"

"I didn't like the guy when I last met him but I noticed he didn't sugarcoat anything. That's how I can tell he's sincere right now. If he becomes good, then what? You'll just be friends because you're afraid to feel for someone again?"

"I really don't think you give the best advice, no offense. You've never had a boyfriend and you're a Hunter. You swore off love."

"Well Luke probably would have been my boyfriend if I hadn't been turned into a tree."

I rolled my eyes. "Sure, okay. Can we please discuss what's happening?"

"Fine. You clearly know more than everyone. Did Chiron tell you?"

"No. I figured it out and he didn't tell me I was wrong."

"Interesting. I'm thinking, another demigod Camp, but for the Roman gods."

"That's what I said too. Annabeth said it was too far fetched but I think she was just stressed because of Percy."

"Mhm," Thalia said, tucking her hands in her pockets. "Well... that actually does give me a lot more of a lead to Percy. We'll let you know."

"Thanks," I said, leading her out of the tent.

"And for the record," she said, a smirk tugging at her lips. "You're going to end up falling for the guy. You've never been able to resist swordfighters. Plus he seems sweet on the inside. Like he's a cinnamon roll but he could actually kill you."

"Gods, Thalia," I mumbled. "Please stop."

"All I want to say is use protection, we don't want any swordfighting babies—"

"Thalia! Shut up!"

She laughed, and as we exited, I saw Lityerses hadn't entered the Hunter tent with the others, and instead had sat in the snow with a hoodie he'd gotten from somewhere.

He looked up and I shot a look at Thalia. She smirked and went to her tent.

"Did you hear any of that?" I groaned, covering my face.

"For the record, I was eavesdropping to see if you were right. And you are. But yes, I heard everything. Don't worry, there won't be any swordfighting babies—"

"Shhhh!" I said, my face probably as red as a tomato as I went to Thalia's tent. I could see Lityerses smirking at me from my peripheral vision.

Once everyone else was ready, we ran uphill through the snow, hugging a tiny little path on the side of the mountain.

"Your boyfriend heard us," Thalia said with a mischievous grin as we leapt around the mountain.

"Gods, Thalia, you are so lucky I can't blast you to pieces...."

"Come on, Valdez!" Coach yelled behind us. "Pick up the pace! Let's chant. I've got a girl in Kalamazoo—"

"Let's not," Thalia and I snapped at the same time.

Thalia suddenly came to a stop near the summit of Pikes Peak. Below us, the world was blanketed in clouds. The air was so thin I could hardly breathe. Night had set in, but a full moon shone and the stars were incredible. Stretching out to the north and south, peaks of other mountains rose from the clouds like islands— or teeth.

"The stars are beautiful," Piper mumbled behind me.

I nudged Thalia and pointed at one particular constellation. "Zoë... it's two years today."

Thalia looked down, and bowed, mumbling something softly. I followed her lead.

"I miss her," Phoebe said beside us.

The others seemed confused, but no one questioned us.

When I stood back up, I looked at what was above us. Hovering in the sky, about a quarter mile away, was a massive free-floating island of glowing purple stone. It must have been as wide as a football stadium and just as tall. The sides were rugged cliffs, riddled with caves, and every once in awhile a gust of wind burst out with a sound like a pipe organ blast. At the top of the rock, brass walls ringed some kind of fortress.

The only thing connecting Pikes Peak to the floating island was a narrow bridge of ice that glistened in the moonlight.

"We're not seriously crossing that," Leo said, seeing the bridge didn't appear solid. It blurred and thinned as the winds changed direction.

Thalia shrugged. "I'm not a big fan of heights, I'll admit. But if you want to get to Aeolus's fortress, this is the only way."

"Is the fortress always hanging there?" Piper asked. "How can people not notice it sitting on top of Pikes Peak?"

"The Mist," Lityerses mumbled, making everyone turn to him. He seemed to get shy when all eyes were on him. "Well uh... mortals do see it but not the way we do. On the days when Aeolus docks here, Pikes Peak looks purple, and the mortals will say it's a trick of the light."

"It's enormous," Jason said.

Thalia laughed. "You should see Olympus, little brother."

"You're serious?" He asked. "You've been there?"

Thalia grimaced and looked sideways at me. "We don't have good memories there."

"Oh yeah," Hedge said loudly, looking at me. "Your brother and boyfriend both died there."

My face turned crimson. "I—"

"Thanks, Coach," Piper said sharply.

Thalia tried to get focus back on the bridge. "So we'll need to go across in three different groups. The bridge is fragile."

"That's reassuring," Leo said. "Jason, can't you just fly us up there?"

Thalia laughed, then seemed to realize Leo wasn't joking. "Wait... Jason you can fly?"

Jason gazed up at the floating fortress. "Well sort of. More like I can control the winds. But the winds up here are strong, I'm not sure I'd want to try. Thalia you mean... you can't fly?"

"Truthfully," she said, "I've never tried. Lydia do you think you could teleport us there?"

I shook my head. "I really don't think I can make another jump, as short as the distance is. I don't feel the tingle."

"Tingle?" Lityerses asked bluntly.

"I get like a tingle in my brain when I have enough power to do stuff— or when I have to sense something using my powers."

"Spidey-sense," Leo mumbled.

"Let's stick to the bridge," Thalia decided.

"We should probably crawl across it," I said. "It's safer."

"Where'd you learn that?" Leo said.

"Off a Tumblr post, I'm pretty sure. Piper— go with—"

"I'll take her," Coach offered, yanking her to the bridge.

"Excellent," I said sarcastically. "Next Leo and Jason, then I'll go with Lityerses then Thalia and—"

"Phoebe is leaving," Thalia said, turning to her. "I'll return soon. Go find the others. Tell them I'm on my way."

"You sure?" Phoebe asked, narrowing her eyes at the three boys like they might kidnap Thalia.

"I'm sure," Thalia said. Phoebe nodded reluctantly and raced back down the mountain path.

Piper and Hedge made it to the other side safely, and waved the rest of us forward.

Leo and Jason were with Thalia, halfway ahead of us, when Lityerses and I took our turn to crawl across the bridge.

"I didn't want to ask earlier," he said, looking sheepishly at me. "But what's Tumblr?"

I smirked, holding back a laugh. "You don't know what Tumblr is?"

"No," he said. "I don't exactly get out much."

"Please tell me you've heard of Queen."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "I thought United States didn't HAVE a Queen—"

"Oh gods," I said, shaking my head. "Well Tumblr is just a place where people will write and upload funny or just creative things for people all over the world to see. Queen is just about the best band in the world. Wait til we get back to Camp— I'll give you a PowerPoint presentation on what 2009— well, almost 2010— is all about."

He winced as if all this was giving him a headache. "What the heck is a PowerPoint?"

I giggled, and he blushed. "You've got a lot to learn."

"Well, teach me, then. Where do you go to school?"

"In Connecticut. Why?"

"Damn. Kind of far from NYU. I'll only be able to see you on weekends."

My face reddened. "See me on weekends?"

"Well you have to teach me about 2010 on a 'PowerPoint' and well I have to show you the proper, Greek way of dating a girl—"

"Ha," I said, laughing nervously. "I'm not sure about the second part..."

"I'm still going to try," he said, winking. "I'd be a fool to let you slip away."

Someone tell me why that made my heart go into overdrive.

"Tell you what," I said, biting my lip. "You make sure we save both Piper's dad and Hera and you'll get to take me on a date."

He raised his eyebrows. "You're making it too easy. Your goal is to save Piper's dad and Hera. Of course I'll help but... we're already going to do that."

"That's the point."

This made his eyes light up. "Okay. I can work with that. Now, any food allergies? I should plan ahead."

Good Christ my heart couldn't take it anymore.

"N-None," I said, feeling my stomach flip. I wasn't used to the sensation anymore. It used to happen all the time when Ethan and I were together but I didn't think it could happen anymore.

I didn't exactly hate it but I was still uncertain.

I didn't want to be afraid, like Thalia had said.

But I also didn't want to get hurt again.

I was about to say something when the bridge shook.

"Leo, stop! You'll melt it!" I heard Jason say ahead of us.

Lityerses tensed. "Crawl faster or we'll be stuck on this side."

I didn't hesitate. We both began to move as fast as possible.

Ahead of us I could see steam around Jason, Leo, and Thalia, which I assumed was because of Leo.

"Faster!" Lityerses said, looking thoroughly afraid we might not make it. He was rummaging in his pocket for something, as if it might be his last resort.

The bridge shook horribly, and I grabbed wildly to the sides.

Thalia came sprinting back toward us, and the bridge began to collapse.

Lityerses extracted a metal triangle, and pressed it. Within seconds he was holding a grappling hook, and he swung it, grunting as he threw it as far forward as he could.

"Thalia!" I cried as the hook lodged onto the mountainside near Coach Hedge and Piper, who luckily noticed, and secured it.

"I must go back to my Hunters!" She said, jumping back to the side we'd been on. "I'll see you at the Wolf House!"

I was about to tell her 'yes' when Lityerses wrapped his arm around me, the bridge disappearing below our feet.

We swung forward and I screamed, looking wide eyed at the chasm below.

"Holy shit— holy shit—" I said, feeling the wind roaring in my ears. I shut my eyes tight, pressing my face into Lityerses's chest.

Seconds later I was thrown to the ground, and Lityerses landed beside me with a loud groan.

"I'm sorry!" Leo said frantically, running over to help me up. He completely ignored Lityerses. "I-I didn't mean to. I g-got a little heated. I'm sorry... honest I didn't—"

"It's fine," Jason and I said at the same time.

"Just a little more control next time," I said, pulling Lit to his feet. He hissed, covering a gash on his forehead.

"Here— let me," I said, placing my hand beside it and concentrating. The gash closed, and only a tiny scar was left behind.

"Another one to add to my collection," he muttered, wiping the snow off his clothes. "Are you okay though? No injuries?"

"I'm fine," I said, half smiling. "Thank you. That was... brave."

I know, I suck at flirting. Leave me alone.

He blushed. "U-Uh... don't mention it."

"Come on," Jason said, his expression grim. "We've got less than twenty four hours to rescue a goddess and Piper's dad. Let's go see the king of the winds."


	39. The Wind Almost Kills Us

**Lityerses's POV**

_Winter 2009_

Beautiful.

She was average height, and I'm almost certain she was probably self conscious about it, but she looked amazing. Her eyes. Gods, her EYES. Have you seen them? If you haven't, you're at a loss.

When I met Luke, his eyes had been similar, but not as brilliantly blue as hers. They remind me of the sky and the sea, like they combined for a second.

Strong.

She's well built— on the skinny side but I can see she's muscular, and a lot stronger than she lets on. And her curves... dear Jesus.

She looks determined to not let her feelings overwhelm her. She knows how to stay focused and deal with her emotions. Incredible.

Fearless.

Except for when we flew over the chasm, but otherwise, she is so bold. She does what she has to do because she knows it's right, and she doesn't care if it scared her.

Talented.

Never in my life had I met someone with so many skills. And it's not just her powers, or her swordfighting skills.

She speaks so precisely and like a true leader. She is a good listener, and clearly has a sharp mind. Brilliant.

Caring.

She took me in. Me, of all people. And it can't possibly be because of my looks because let's face it, I look like a butchered cow. My face and body are completely disfigured by scars.

But she saw past the evil persona I took on and she accepted me, and wants to help me.

I honestly didn't understand how a girl like this didn't have people all over competing for her affections. I couldn't possibly be the only person in line to take her on a date. There had to be at least twenty people who were desperate for her to accept them and allow them to pamper her.

As we walked I watched her. She walked with so much confidence, like anyone could attack her and she'd be ready to kick their asses.

I knew her story, of course. For a kid to become a badass at the age of six— they had to be something incredible. And Lydia was that.

She had a tight hand over her sword hilt. Her eyes shimmered, and I could see her thoughts storming around them.

Intimidating.

It seemed like she was calculating her next step, because that had to be phenomenally precise. She was a natural born leader, and she was driven to make sure everyone was safe.

However, they also held so much sadness. I could see she was reminiscing on Ethan, and probably also Luke.

Ethan Nakamura had been one lucky man to have had her love. Her touch. To hear her laugh when he joked.

I wondered how long she and Ethan had been together. How many times had they gone out? How many times had they kissed? Had they ever laid under the stars cuddled together?

I wanted to know. I wanted to be careful about how fast I moved with her.

If she hadn't gone on a date, I didn't want to make the first one uncomfortably extravagant.

What if she didn't like too much physical contact? I didn't want to make her cuddle with me thinking she'd like it and have her feel anxious— trapped.

I could sense she'd been kissed, but I didn't want to go through with my desires so quickly. What if her kisses with Ethan had been soft, and lacked true passion?

I wanted to press her against a wall and kiss her until she couldn't breathe— with every ounce of heat, passion, and admiration I had for her.

But I also didn't want to make her so uncomfortable she left.

I had to time this right.

As we arrived to Aeolus's palace, the satyr—Coach Hedge— ran off to eat in some fields. The rest of us walked down the main road and straight to the steps of the palace.

Lydia was right next to me. I could say something, anything, to attract her attention.

But all that came out was "Uh...."

Lydia looked at me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I said sheepishly. "Just wondering why those er— those banners with olympian weather just say 'ow.'"

She giggled, and my heart skipped a beat.

She was so cute.

"Yeah, that's strange," she said.

"Hello!" I flinched slightly as a woman floated up to us. I was pretty sure she was an aura, judging by how she was floating. I was a bit confused on whether she was sixteen or older, since her face was ageless. "Are you from Lord Zeus? We've been expecting you."

Jason seemed ready to respond, but he just narrowed his eyes at her transparent figure. "Are you a ghost?"

Her smile turned into a pout, like he'd insulted her. "I'm an aura, sir. A wind nymph, as you might expect, working for the lord of the winds. "My name is Mellie. We don't have ghosts."

Piper jumped in to rescue Jason. "No, of course you don't! My friend simply mistook you for Helen of Troy, the most beautiful mortal of all time. It's an easy mistake."

Wow, she was good. The compliment was certainly over the top. I mean I'd met Helen, and she was nowhere near as beautiful as Lydia.

Regardless, Mellie blushed. "Oh... well, then. So you are from Zeus?"

"Er," Jason said, "I'm the son of Zeus, yeah."

"Excellent!" She chirped. "Please, right this way."

She led us through some security doors into another lobby, consulting her tablet as she floated. "We're out of prime time now, so that's good. I can fit you in right before his 11:12 spot."

"Um, okay," Jason said.

The lobby was a pretty distracting place. Doors were flying open and slamming shut by themselves, and winds were blasting all around us.

Lydia swayed in front of me, and I instinctively put my hands on her shoulders to stabilize her.

"T-Thanks," she said, slightly startled.

I think I said something stupid like "uh-huh."

Perhaps it'd be wise for me to go back to describing Aeolus's lobby.

It was bizarre, to say the least. Paper airplanes of different sizes and shapes sped around, and other aurai occasionally plucked them out of the air, unfolded them, read them, then tossed them back into the air where the planes would refold and keep flying.

An ugly creature very suddenly flew past. A harpy no doubt, with her black hair tied in a hairnet.

"Not an aura?" Jason asked as the harpy wobbled by.

Mellie laughed. "That's a harpy, of course. Our, ah, ugly stepsisters I suppose you would say. Don't you have harpies on Olympus? They're spirits of violent gusts, unlike us aurai. We're all gentle breezes."

She batted her eyes at him.

I don't know how she expected that would work out.

"Course you are," he said shyly.

"So," Piper prompted, clearly growing jealous, "you were taking us to see Aeolus?"

Mellie led them through a set of doors like an airlock. Above the interior door, a green light blinked.

I felt like such a nerd when I associated the green light with The Great Gatsby.

But honestly it didn't matter anymore. I could tell Lydia was digging it, since she was so smart.

I hoped I was good enough for her.

"We have a few minutes before he starts," Mellie said cheerfully. "He probably won't kill you if we go in now. Come along!"

Let me note that cathedrals are big.

Now, the central section of Aeolus's fortress was as big as a cathedral. It even had a soaring domed roof covered in silver. Television equipment floated randomly through the air— cameras, spotlights, set pieces, potted plants.

And there was also no floor. Leo almost fell into the chasm before Jason yanked him back.

"Holy shit!" Leo gulped. "Hey, Mellie. A little warning next time!"

An enormous circular pit plunged into the heart of the mountain. It was probably half a mile deep, honeycombed with caves. Some of the tunnels probably led straight outside— most likely where the wind randomly blasted out. Other caves were sealed with glistening material like glass or wax. The whole cavern bustled with harpies, aurai, and paper airplanes. They could fly, so they were completely fine.

"Oh my," Mellie gasped. "I'm so sorry." She unclipped a walkie talkie from inside her robes and spoke into it: "Hello, sets? Is that Nuggets? Hi, Nuggets. Could we get a floor on the main studio, please? Yes, a solid one. Thanks."

I wonder who the heck Nuggets was.

A few seconds later, an army of harpies rose from the pit— three dozen or so demon chicken ladies, all carrying squares of various building material. They went to work hammering and gluing— and using large quantities of duct tape, which was not reassuring at all. In no time there was a super random makeshift floor snaking out over the chasm.

"That can't be safe," I said.

"Oh, it is!" Mellie said. "The harpies are very good."

"Easy for you to say, you don't touch it," I muttered.

Beside me, Lydia snorted softly, and her cheeks reddened like she was trying not to laugh.

I blushed. Well, that's one point for me.

Jason stepped forward first, and the floor surprisingly held.

Piper gripped his hand and followed him. "If I fall, you're catching me."

"Uh, sure." Jason blushed crimson.

Leo stepped out next. "You're catching me, too, Superman. But I ain't holding your hand."

I instinctively took Lydia's hand, and she looked up, smirking. "Can you fly or what?"

"U-Uh no." Yeah, Lit. Really smart response.

"Okay," she said. "Well if the floor disappears we'll try and teleport to the other side."

"Cool," I said, not knowing what else to say.

She seemed to gain her confidence back for a split second. "What, am I making you nervous?"

My heart jumped into my throat. "Maybe."

"So you're nervous AFTER I agreed to go on a date with you?" She inquired.

"Well I'm nervous because I'm planning it," I said as nonchalantly as I could muster. "Have to make it perfect to get you to want a second round."

"IF your date is acceptable, I'm planning date two."

I could hardly believe my luck. She actually was considering a second date.

"You can plan it but I'll pay it."

"Um... no. Not if I'm planning it."

"Are you two really going to argue about your dates at a time like this?"

Piper looked only mildly annoyed. She was moreso amused.

"Sorry," Lydia said. But I could tell she wasn't sorry at all. The expression on her face radiated pure mischief.

I could stare at her all day and not get tired of it.

Mellie led us toward the middle pf the chamber, where a loose sphere of flat panel video screens floated around a kind of control center. A man hovered inside, checking monitors and reading paper airplane messages.

He paid no attention to us as Mellie brought us forward, not even when she pushed a forty two inch Sony out of the way— which made quite a bit of noise.

Leo whistled. "I got to get a room like this."

The floating screens showed all sorts of television programs which looked suspiciously like reality shows.

"He got wrecked," Lydia mumbled, nodding to a particular screen where a demigod vaporized a hydra.

"Did you know all hydras are hermaphrodites?" I said stupidly, wanting to impress her.

She raised her eyebrows. "No, I didn't know that. But I suppose I should've figured that out considering the head growth and abnormal births of their offspring. Obviously the gametes had to come from the same creature in order to spontaneously grow like that. Why didn't I think of it?"

She looked even cuter when she was saying smart stuff.

"You're probably too busy learning to save lives," I said, shrugging. "I'm betting you'll make a kick ass neurosurgeon if you're going to graduate Medical School at 19."

She blushed, and looked away.

One more point for me.

Mellie floated toward the man. "Ah, sir, Mr. Aeolus, these demigods—"

"Hold it!" He held up a hand to silence her, then pointed at one of the screens. "Watch!"

It was one of those storm chaser programs. I saw a car— I think it was a Jeep— get pulled straight into a funnel cloud.

Aeolus shrieked in delight. "The Disaster Channel. People do that on purpose!" He turned to Jason with a crazy smile that made me worried for the kid. "Isn't that amazing?"

"Um, sir," Mellie said. "This is Jason, son of—"

"Yes, yes, I remember," he said. "You're back! How did it go?"

Jason hesitated. "Sorry? I think you've mistaken me—"

"No, no, Jason Grace, aren't you? It was— last year? You were on your way to fight a sea monster."

"I-I don't remember."

Beside me, Lydia's face twitched, like she was forcing back a smirk of satisfaction. I'm guessing this statement confirmed her theory about this whole situation.

Now imagine that. A girl who is smart enough to figure out a major secret on the gods' behalf?

I want to marry her.

But it's definitely too soon for that, so I'll keep it for myself.

But for the record—

Nevermind.

Aeolus laughed. "Must not have been a very good sea monster! No, I remember every hero who's ever come to me for aid. Odysseus— gods, he docked on my island for a month! At least you only stayed a few days. Now, watch this video. These ducks get sucked straight into—"

"Sir," Mellie interrupted. "Two minutes to air."

"Air!" Aeolus exclaimed. "I love air. How do I look? Makeup!"

I flinched as a small tornado of brushes, blotters, and cotton balls descended on him. They blurred across his face in a cloud of fresh tone smoke until his coloration was more gruesome than before. Wind swirled through his hair and left it sticking up like a frosted Christmas tree."

"Mr. Aeolus." Jason slipped off the golden backpack. "We brought you these rogue storm spirits."

"Did you!" Aeolus looked at the bag like it was a gift from a fan— something he really didn't want. "Well, how nice."

Jason offered him the bag. "Boreas sent us to capture them for you. We hope you'll accept them and uh— stop, you know— ordering demigods to be killed."

Aeolus looked incredulously at Mellie. "Demigods be killed— did I order that?"

Mellie checked her tablet. "Yes, sir, fifteenth of September. 'Storm spirits released by the death of Typhon, demigods to be held responsible,' etc... yes, a general order for them all to be killed."

Aeolus nodded slowly. "Yes, now I remember—"

"My lord," Lydia said, stepping forward and bowing low. "On behalf of the demigods who fought Kronos while the gods were battling Typhon, I would like to apologize. We should have asked the gods to clean up their mess."

"I remember you," Aeolus said, looking down at her. "Yes— you and that Jackson kid were offered immortality. You both asked the gods the same favor." He scratched his chin. "Oh pish. Rescind that order, Mellie, I was grumpy. Your apology is accepted, Lydia Castellan."

She stepped back, smirking triumphantly.

How could one person be so amazing?

"Who's on guard duty?" Aeolus asked. "Teriyaki? Teri— take these storm spirits down to cell block Fourteen E, will you?"

A harpy, who I'm assuming was Teriyaki, swooped out of nowhere, snatched the golden bag, and spiraled into the abyss.

Aeolus turned back to Lydia. "Sorry about the kill on sight business." His face suddenly darkened, and the lapels on his suit flashed with lightning. "I remember now.... almost seemed like a voice was telling me to give that order. A little cold tingle on the back of my neck."

Jason and Lydia both tensed. "A um... voice in your head, sir?"

"Yes. How odd. Mellie, should we kill them?"

"No sir," she said patiently. "They just brought us the storm spirits, which makes everything all right."

"Of course." Aeolus laughed. "Sorry. Mellie, let's send the demigods something nice. A box of chocolates, perhaps."

"A box of chocolates to every demigod in the world, sir?"

"No, too expensive. Never mind. Wait, it's time! I'm on!"

Aeolus flew toward the blue screen as newscast music started to play.

"Mellie," Lydia said, "is he always like that? He's acting like my mom."

Mellie smiled sheepishly. "Well you know what they say. If you don't like his mood, wait five minutes. That expression 'whichever way the wind blows'— that was based on him."

I heard Lydia sing a very soft melody with the words 'anyway the wind blows.' I didn't know of that was an actual song, but I got the feeling if it was, it would be from Queen.

Gods, she was cute. I think I've said that already. But get used to it.

"What about the thing with the sea monster?" Jason asked. "Was I here before?"

Mellie blushed. "I'm sorry, I don't remember. I'm Mr. Aeolus's new assistant. I've been with him longer than most but still— not that long."

"How long do his assistants usually last?" Piper inquired.

"Oh...." Mellie thought for a moment. "I've been doing this for.... twelve hours?"

Something definitely didn't sound right about that, and I could tell everyone sensed it.

A voice blared on the floating speakers: "and now, weather every twelve minutes! Here's your forecaster for Olympian Weather— the OW! channel— AEOLUS!"

Lights blazed on Aeolus, who was now standing in front of the blew screen. He looked like he's had so much caffeine his face was about to explode.

Let me say I didn't pay any attention to what he announced. I was too busy staring at Lydia, who kept making faces at the screen. She looked for the most part pensive, and it was a good expression on her. Really, anything was.

The light eventually shut off, and for a moment, Aeolus's face sagged with weariness.

I almost felt bad for the guy.

"So. You brought me some rogue storm spirits," Aeolus said. "I suppose.... thanks! And you want something else? I assume so. Demigods always do."

"Um, sir, this is Zeus's son," Mellie said. "They're here from Olympus."

Aeolus suddenly laughed. "Finally! I knew they would send someone to renegotiate my contract!"

"Um, what?" Jason asked.

"It's been three thousand years since Zeus made me master of the winds. Not that I'm ungrateful of course! I just want to be god of the winds, because the benefits are so much better. Can we start with that?"

Leo coughed. "Dude, you think we're here to promote you?"

"You are, then?" Aeolus asked happily. "Marvelous! I mean, I think I've shown quite a bit of initiative with the weather channel, eh? So we'll change my official title to god of the winds. Then, about salary and staff—"

"Sir," Lydia said abruptly. "We're not here to negotiate your contract. Perhaps we can discuss that later, but we are on a quest and we need your help."

Aeolus looked annoyed. "Bah! I'm always helping! Demigods! It's always about you, isn't it?"

"We just want information," Piper said in her most calming voice. "We hear you know everything."

Damn that was a smart way to play it.

Aeolus tried to look modest. "Well... that's true. For instance, I know that all this is a harebrained scheme of Juno's to bring you all together is likely to end in bloodshed. As for you, Piper McLean, I know your father is in serious trouble."

A photo fluttered into her hands. She took it and went pale. "This— this is from his wallet."

"Yes," Aeolus said. "All things lost in the wind eventually come to me. The photo blew away when the Earthborn captured him."

"The what?" Piper spluttered.

But Aeolus waved aside the question. "Now you, son of Hephaestus... yes, I see your future." Another paper fluttered to Leo.

Leo staggered backwards. "Something— I-I drew when I was a kid." He quickly put it in his coat. "It's... nothing."

Aeolus laughed. "Really? Just the key to your success!" He looked at me. "Son of Demeter. An interesting addition to this quest. Oh you too, will suffer."

I frowned. What was he talking about?

Even Lydia looked worried, and that made my heart flutter.

"Now where were we? Ah yes, you wanted information. Are you sure about that? Sometimes information can be dangerous."

"Yes," Jason said. "We need help to get to the Wolf House where they're keeping Hera—"

Aeolus tilted his head as if listening to voices in his earpiece. "Well... Zeus approves. He says it would be better if you could avoid saving her until after the weekend, because he has a big party planned— OW! That's Aphrodite, yelling at him, reminding him the solstice starts at dawn. She says I should help you. And Hephaestus.... Hermes.... Demeter... very rare they all agree on anything."

Lydia looked absolutely happy. She looked like a child on Christmas day, which I guessed might be how she looked whenever she opened a cadaver too, which made it much cuter.

Suddenly a loud belch was heard. Coach Hedge waddled to us, grass all over his face. Mellie's breath hitched. "Who is that?"

Jason stifled a cough. "That? That's just Coach Hedge. Uh, Gleeson Hedge. He's our guide."

"He's so goatly," Mellie murmured.

"What's up guys?" Hedge said as he trotted over. "Wow, nice place. Oh! Sod squares."

"Coach you just ate," Jason said. "And we're using the sod as a floor. This is, ah, Mellie—"

"An aura." Hedge smiled winningly. "Beautiful as a summer breeze."

Mellie blushed.

"And Aeolus here was just about to help us," Jason said.

"Yes," the wind lord muttered. He looked at me. "Enceladus is at Mount Diablo."

I nodded. "Yeah he's—"

Aeolus smiled. "As to getting you there—"

Suddenly his face went slack. He bent over and tapped his earpiece. When he looked up his eyes were wild. "She hasn't spoke to me for centuries. I can't— yes, yes, I understand."

He looked at Jason. "I'm sorry, son of Jupiter. New orders. You all have to die."

Mellie squeaked. "But— but sir! Zeus said to help them! Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hermes, Demeter—"

"There are some orders that transcend even the wishes of the gods, especially when it comes to the forces of nature."

"Whose orders?" Lydia snarled, taking out her sword. "Zeus himself said—"

"Even Zeus understands the order of things," Aeolus said. "And if she is waking— by all the gods— she cannot be denied."

"Yes she can!" Lydia spat. "You don't want her to rise—"

"Good-bye, heroes!" Aeolus said. "I'm terribly sorry, but I'll have to make this quick. I'm back on the air in four minutes."

Lydia jumped forward, but Mellie dove to her feet, her robes creating a shield to guard us from the storm spirits that blasted to us, shredding the floor to pieces. We all plummeted into the pit.

My first instinct was to grab Lydia. I pulled her to my chest, looking down.

Shit.

"Quick!" Mellie yelled. "Son of Zeus, do you have any power over the air?"

"A little!"

"Then help me, or you're all dead!" Mellie grabbed his hand.

We all huddled together, hanging onto Jason and Mellie.

Lydia had her face burrowed in my chest, and her eyes were snapped shut. I could barely hear her whimpering.

I sensed Thalia might not be the only one with a fear of heights, though I suspected Lydia's fear was moreso hanging over big pits and chasms.

"This is not good!" Leo yelled.

"Bring it on, gas bags!" Hedge yelled at the storm spirits. "I'll pulverize you!"

"He's magnificent," Mellie sighed.

"Concentrate?" Jason prompted.

"Right!" She said.

We tumbled out into a chute, the storm spirits screeching behind us.

"Can't— hold— long," Mellie warned. "Stay together! When the winds hit—"

"You're doing great, Mellie," Hedge said. "My own mama was an aura, you know. She couldn't have done better herself."

"Iris message me?" Mellie pleaded. Hedge winked.

"Could you guys plan your date later?" Piper screamed. "Look!"

Behind us, the tunnel was turning dark, and the pressure was going up.

"Can't hold them," Mellie warned. "But I'll try to shield you, do one more favor."

"Thanks, Mellie," I said, finding myself now rubbing Lydia's back. "I hope you get a new job."

She smiled and then dissolved, wrapping us in a warm, gentle breeze.

When the real winds hit, we shot into the sky so fast I blacked out.


	40. We Prepare to Fight... Again

**Lydia Castellan's POV**

_Winter 2009_

My eyes opened, and I was at a table at a sidewalk café.

This is weird. I don't do cafés.

I blinked the bright sun out of my eyes. The air calmly fluttered around me, and I saw a mix of bicyclists, business people, and college students sitting and drinking coffee with their colleagues.

It smelled like eucalyptus trees, and many people walked to and fro around us.

"California," I mumbled.

At that, Piper sat up, and we both looked around.

We had all been made to sit in the chairs around the table, our hands folded across our chests. We all had new clothes on. The others were completely asleep.

"Mother!" Piper gasped, looking down at her outfit.

Jason flinched and his knees bumped the table. Lityerses woke with a start and swiftly held it in place so as to not break the cups, narrowing his eyes suspiciously, though I knew he was only half awake.

I looked at him and blushed.

The last thing I remembered was being held in his arms, and he was rubbing my back soothingly as we shot through the air.

Comfortable. Safe. Problematic.

"What?" Hedge demanded, looking around. "Fight who? Where?"

"Falling!" Leo grabbed the table. "No— not falling. Where are we?"

"Walnut Creek, California," I said, looking around. "Apparently at this... Café Verve. Gross."

Jason blinked and nodded, then focused on Piper. He made a choking sound. "What are you wearing?"

Piper blushed. She had a turquoise dress, black leggings, and black leather boots along with a snowboarding jacket, which surprisingly went really well with the outfit. She had gotten her hair done too.

"It's nothing," she said. "It's my— It's nothing."

Leo grinned. "Aphrodite strikes again, huh? You're gonna be the best-dressed warrior in town, beauty queen."

"Hey, Leo." Jason nudged his arm. "You look at yourself recently?"

"What.... oh."

We had all been given a makeover. Leo was wearing pinstriped pants, black leather shoes, a white collarless shirt with suspenders, and his tool belt, Ray-Ban sunglasses, and a porkpie hat.

"God, Leo," Piper said. "I think my dad wore that to his last premiere, minus the tool belt."

"Hey, shut up!"

"I think he looks good," Hedge said. "'Course I look better."

He was literally a pastel nightmare, and most definitely did NOT look better. Aphrodite had given him a baggy canary yellow zoot suit with two tone shoes that fit over his hooves. He had a matching yellow broad-brimmed hat, a rose-colored shirt, a baby blue tie, and a blue carnation in his lapel, which Hedge sniffed and then ate.

"I'm uncomfortable," Lityerses murmured.

"Because of his outfit or—?"

"No. This."

He was wearing the same pants he'd had on before, but he now had some red Nikes and a red shirt. On top he had a leather jacket, which I guessed was the uncomfortable part, as it looked tight. Aphrodite had trimmed his hair so it looked less messy, but allowed him to keep the bandanna.

"You don't look bad though," I squeaked as clearly as I could muster, my breath having hitched so much I could barely breathe.

His face reddened. "N-Neither do you..." he averted his glance. "You look really good."

I wasn't sure why he looked away until I looked down and realized I was wearing a crop top that perfectly exposed the scars I had from Kampê and being impaled, along with a few others. My bare stomach was surprisingly just as tan as my arms. Underneath that I was wearing shorts, and on my feet my checkered shoes had been cleaned. I felt the top of my head. Aphrodite had cut my hair so it no longer resided in a ponytail, but rather hung above my shoulders.

I don't know how she knew I'd wanted to cut it like that for ages.

"Hey Lydia," Leo said, looking at me. "You should get a belly button piercing."

I rolled my eyes, noticing Lityerses was trying to steal glances at me.

"Well," Jason said, "at least Aphrodite overlooked me."

Not exactly. He had on a clean change of clothes and new running shoes, and his hair was now trimmed. He looked the same as before, just more put together. I saw Piper staring at him like he was a god.

"Anyway," Piper said quickly, "how did we get here?"

"Ou, that would be Mellie," Hedge said, chewing happily on his carnation. "Those winds shot us halfway across the country, I'd guess. We would've been smashed flat on impact, but Mellie's last gift— a nice soft breeze— cushioned our fall."

"And she got fired for us," Leo said. "Man, we suck."

"Ah, she'll be fine," Hedge said. "Besides, she couldn't help herself. I've got that effect on nymphs. I'll send her a message when we're through with this quest and help her figure something out. That is one aura I could settle down with and raise a herd of baby goats."

"I'm going to be sick," Piper said. "Anyone else want coffee?"

"Yes please," I said, rubbing my temples.

"Coffee!" Hedge's grin was stained blue from the flower. "I love coffee!"

"Um," Jason said, "but—money? Our packs?"

"Guys," I said. "Don't worry. I'll just steal a Keurig and—"

"Wait!" Piper said. She dove under the table and extracted our packs. Then she pulled a wad of cash from her pocket.

Leo whistled. "Allowance? Piper, your mom rocks!"

"Waitress!" Hedge called. "Six double espressos, and whatever these guys want. Put it on the girl's tab."

When we got our coffee, Lityerses scooted over to another table, clearly still feeling out of place.

"Hey," I said, bringing my chair over to join him. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he said. "Just feel like I'm intruding."

"You're not," I said. "You've been helping us. You're one of us now."

"Leo and Hedge definitely don't like me. Piper doesn't seem to fully trust me. You and Jason are the only ones who—"

"Okay, and they're conditioned to be afraid. Leo's new to this. He doesn't know how people can become friends after being enemies in this world. And Hedge well— Hedge is overprotective. My friend Annabeth has told him everything about me. EVERYTHING. I think he just sees you and wonders if you're going to be the next one who causes me pain— but don't worry. I don't think you will."

"I think you have too much faith in me—"

"Lityerses—"

"Please, call me Lit. I hate that name. Might legally change it."

My lip twitched. "Lit, then. I trust you. I have a feeling."

"What if I can't be good enough to help?" He mumbled. "I should be able to, since I have all this inside information. But at Aeolus's palace I was completely useless."

"No you weren't!"

"Oh yeah? Name one time I wasn't useless."

"When you caught me and shielded me from the winds."

His face turned beet red. "W-Well I—"

"Hey," I said, patting his arm. "Don't degrade yourself." I laughed lightly. "I'd rather it be me and not my boyfriend who's self conscious."

I think that might have killed him, because he looked like he might explode.

"J-Just saying," I said quickly.

"Oh you just wait," he said, looking determined. "Just wait til date one. I'm going to make it so perfect."

"You really don't have to."

"I want to. If I'm lucky enough for you to accept to go on a date with me and j-joke about us being... together... well I have to make this count."

I covered my face.

Jesus I was falling for this guy quickly.

"If you two are done planning your 'extra fun' night," Leo said, raising his eyebrows. "We're now staring at the mountain."

He pointed toward where we could see Mount Diablo on the horizon. It looked small and peaceful, but I knew it was bigger and radiated magic like never before, shielding the evil giant from mortal eyes.

Leo pulled out the old crayon drawing Aeolus had given him.

"What is that?" Piper asked.

Leo simply folded it up gingerly and put it away. "Nothing. You don't want to see my kindergarten artwork."

"It's more than that," Jason said. "Aeolus said it was the key to our success."

Leo shook his head. "Not today. He was talking about... later."

"How can you be sure?" Piper asked.

"Trust me," Leo insisted. "Now— what's our game plan?"

Hedge belched. He'd already had three espressos and a plate of doughnuts, along with two napkins and another flower from the vase on the table. Honestly, he probably would have eaten the silverware if Piper hadn't slapped his hand.

"Climb the mountain," Hedge said. "Kill everything except Piper's dad. Leave."

"Thank you, General Eisenhower," Jason grumbled.

"Hey, I'm just saying!"

"Guys."

Everyone turned their attention to Piper. She looked at me, and gulped.

"I've been having dreams," she said. "And I managed to piece everything together... I think. Correct me if I'm wrong, Lydia, but our real enemy is Gaea."

Now everyone turned to me. I nodded slowly.

"Gaea?" Leo shook his head. "Isn't that Mother Nature? She's supposed to have, like, flowers in her hair and birds singing around her and deer and rabbits doin her laundry."

"No," Lit said. "This is much more serious. The Earth Mother is dangerous. Her forces are powerful. My father— Medea— the Cyclopes you met— Aeolus— you've almost been stopped about a thousand times and they're all serving her. She has minions everywhere."

"Oh," Leo said in a small voice.

Lit nodded. "She and her husband Ouranos— the sky, they were the parents of the Cyclopes. Ouranos threw them to Tartarus, and this made Gaea furious. She bided her time. They had another set of children— the twelve Titans. Gaea convinced her son Kronos—"

"The bad dude you killed in the summer," Leo said, looking at me.

"Yes," I confirmed. "Kronos was given a scythe by Gaea— the same one that left me this scar here under my belly button and the one on my lower back— and she asked him to kill his father. Chop him to pieces so he couldn't regenerate. She told him he'd be able to take over the world."

No one spoke. They all just seemed disgusted that a mother would do such a thing.

"Don't even get me started on the aftermath of that," I mumbled. "Kronos and Rhea go on to have the Olympians, blah blah blah, and meanwhile Gaea is hooking up with Tartarus. Wanna guess who they give birth to? The giants."

"Oh that's just disgusting," Leo said.

"Gaea is literally the mother of all the bad guys," Lit agreed. "She's old, powerful, and her essence is so gigantic that it makes it very difficult for her to be fully conscious. Most of the time she sleeps, but as we saw with Aeolus— she has a very active mind that helps her communicate. Even while she sleeps she's watching, having volcanoes explode, making monsters rise. She's not fully awake now. Believe me... we won't want to see her fully awaken."

"She's getting more powerful then, if she's causing the giants to rise," Piper said. "And if their king comes back— this guy Porphyrion—"

"He'll raise an army to destroy the gods," I said. "Each main giant son is the anti-god of an Olympian. Porphyrion was literally born to defeat Zeus. Polybotes is the anti-Poseidon. I'm certain Enceladus is the anti-Athena. Gaea wants Hera to be destroyed first, to cause another war, and then she'll wake fully."

Hedge nodded. "Which is why it's a good idea for us to stay off the ground as much as possible."

Leo looked warily at Mount Diablo. "So... climbing a mountain. That would be bad."

"Yes," I said. "I could try and teleport us all there."

"No," Jason said. "I can't have you out of commission. We'll get there another way—"

"Guys!" Piper said. "No... I can't ask you to do this. This is too dangerous."

I sighed. "Piper, everything will be dangerous. This is just the beginning. I watched Kronos rise. I watched him take over my brother's body. I watched so many people die at his hand. People I cared so much about..."

I saw Lit staring at me.

"And Kronos... he was Gaea's son. Her SON. Imagine how awful the mother will be. We have to take this risk. This is what the whole quest has been about. I know what we're dealing with. I'm optimistic. Jason can literally shoot lightning. Leo lights stuff on fire. Piper, you manage to charmspeak even powerful people. Hedge well— he's good with a baseball bat. Lit and I got down the combat and strategizing."

"Not to mention he can grow flowers," Hedge said.

Lit blushed. "I don't know how well my own powers will match up to the Earth Mother's but I can try."

"See?" I said to Piper. "We got this."

She half smiled.

"Alright!" Hedge belched. "Who's ready to beat stuff up?"

______________

I wish the taxi we took could have dropped us off at the top.

But the entire way up, the cab had been making lurching, grinding sounds, and halfway up the ranger's station ha a chain blocking the way.

"Far as I can go," the cabbie said. "You sure about this? Gonna be a long walk back, and my car's acting funny. I can't wait for you."

"We're sure," I said, jumping out. It sounded like the transmission was terrible but from how the wheels were sinking into the road, I knew it was Gaea's doing.

As we all climbed out, our shoes began to sink in to the hard packet dirt— which shouldn't be happening.

"What, too weak to swallow me now, Earth Woman?" I spat as Leo paid the cabbie.

"I don't know how wise it is to challenge her," Lit said as we led the way up.

"Eh," I said, looking around. "Almost Christmas and here we are about to kick some giant butt. Why does this always happen to me?"

"You're a hero. A good one, too. You're needed in important battles."

I half smiled as he pressed himself closer to me.

"So," he said. "I um... assume we're making it out of here alive because— well I just know. So how about I take you out on Christmas?"

I blinked. "U-Um... I—"

"You don't have to decide now. I've never really celebrated Christmas, so I wouldn't have anything to do. But if you have plans, it's fine."

"No no— I don't. My mother has a little party at her home for the other patients... and well at Camp usually we just have a dinner and some present exchanges. I-I'd um— I'd love to go."

"Cool. Alcoholic beverages?"

"I'm eighteen so probably not."

"Fine by me. Favorite dinner?"

"Um... probably ham. I'm not a big fan of turkey unless it's made by Percy's mom."

"Ham it is then. Wear something nice."

I blushed and looked down at the valley, hoping he couldn't see how red my face was.

He was really determined.

And I liked it.

The whole inland valley around Mount Diablo was a patchwork of towns— grids of tree-lined streets and nice middle-class suburbs, shops, and schools. All these normal people lived normal lives.

I looked across the way at the other mountain in the distance.

"Mount Tamalpais, right?" Lit asked. "That's where the fortress was."

"Yeah," I said. "And just straight that way... my future school. Guess I'll have to get used to living over here in California."

"It can't be too bad. I'll come with you. I'll have graduated by the time you graduate high school. Then I can move over here and get a job and—"

"That's a little too far ahead," I squeaked, gulping. "I-It's sweet but that's— a big jump."

"Oh shit— sorry. Well— we'll see how the Christmas date goes. Then I'll plan a New Year's one."

"Thanks," I said softly.

"That's Concord," Jason said behind us, pointing north. "Walnut Creek below us. To the south, Danville, past those hills. And that way..."

He pointed west, where a ridge of golden hills held back a layer of fog, like the rim of a bowl. "That's the Berkeley Hills. The East Bay. Past that, San Francisco."

"Jason?" Piper asked. "You remember something? You've been here?"

"Yes... no." He looked anguished. "It just seems important."

Lit and I looked at each other.

"His Camp is here," Lit whispered. "In this area."

I nodded slowly.

"That's Titan land." Coach Hedge nodded toward the west. "Bad place, Jason. Trust me, this is as close to 'Frisco as we want to get."

"Frisco?" I asked. "That's what my brother called it."

Hedge huffed. "Luke learned that from me."

My lip twitched.

"Hey guys," Leo said, trying to lift his shoe. "Let's keep moving."

"Damn it," I mumbled. "Gaea is stronger here. Move fast."

Hedge kicked off his shoes then handed them to Leo. "Keep those for me, Valdez. They're nice."

Leo snorted as we began walking again. "Yes, sir, Coach. Would you like them polished?"

"That's varsity thinking, Valdez," Hedge nodded approvingly. "But first, we'd better hike up this mountain while we still can."

"No," I said, grabbing the shoes and tossing them off the side of the mountain. "Don't be ridiculous, Hedge. Leo needs his hands free. There is a whole market of shoes just like that and those didn't even fit you properly."

He huffed loudly, and Leo looked grateful.

"How do we know where the giant is?" Piper asked.

Jason pointed toward the peak. Drifting across the summit was a plume of smoke. From a distance, I thought it was a cloud, but it wasn't. Something was definitely burning.

"Smoke equals fire," Jason said. "We'd better hurry."

Climbing the mountain proved to be incredibly difficult. Jason still wouldn't let me teleport everyone up.

The wind was cold and sharp, and it was on a horrible incline— like that famous street in Frisco. Fuck that shit, first of all.

By the time we reached the crest of the mountain, my legs ached.

"I think I'd be less tired if I had just teleported us up here to begin with," I muttered under my breath.

Lit extracted some ambrosia from his pack. "Everyone eat up so your lactic acid buildup goes down. Hurry— we need to keep moving."

I didn't argue as he popped a square into my mouth.

"Yum," I said, massaging my thighs. "I love tacos."

Lit laughed, and ate one on his own. "Mmm... cheesecake."

He then looked up and across the mountain. "Just a bit more to go. There are a lot of twigs there— probably as a signal."

I wasn't expecting him to wave his hands, so he almost slapped me in the face.

The twigs were lifted into the air and disintegrated, and the path we had left to go down became soft grass.

"That is wicked," I breathed, leaning down to feel the grass.

"It's nothing," Lit said, blushing. Clearly he was embarrassed to have these powers.

"It was badass," I said, patting his shoulder. "Trust me."

"Guys."

Jason motioned us down the rest of the path, to stand behind a wall of rock. He gestured for us all to crouch behind it.

"I don't want to get my outfit dirty!" Hedge complained.

"Oh shut up you can get another zoot suit at a vintage shop!" I hissed, forcing him to kneel.

Over the ridge where we were hiding, in the shadow of the mountain's final crest, was a forested depression about the side of a football field, where the giant Enceladus had set up camp.

Trees had been cut down to make a towering purple bonfire. The outer rim of the clearing was littered with extra logs and construction equipment— an earthmover, a big crane thing with rotating blades at the end like an electric shaver— probably a tree harvester— and a long metal column with an ax blade, like a sideways guillotine— a hydraulic ax.

I didn't understand why the giant would need construction equipment, or how it would ever fit inside the driver's seat.

Enceladus was enormous. And horrible. He was at least thirty feet tall, and he stared intently at the purple bonfire before him, circling it and chanting under his breath. From the waist up he appeared humanoid, his muscular chest clad in bronze armor, decorated with flame designs. His arms were ripped— each of his biceps probably bigger than me. His skin was bronze but sooty with ash. His face was crudely shaped, like a half finished clay figure, but his eyes glowed white, and his hair was matted in shaggy dreadlocks down to his shoulders, braided with bones.

From the waist down— he was more awful.

His legs were scaly green, with claws instead of feet— like the forelegs of a dragon. In his hand he held a spear the size of a flagpole. Every so often he dipped its tip in the fire, turning the metal molten red.

"Okay," Hedge whispered. "Here's the plan—"

Leo elbowed him. "You're not charging him alone!"

"Aw, c'mon."

Piper choked back a sob. "Look."

Just visible on the other side of the bonfire was a man tied to a post. His head slumped like he was unconscious.

"Dad," she whispered hoarsely.

"There's four of us," Hedge whispered urgently. "And only one of him."

"Did you miss the fact he's thirty feet tall?" Lit muttered.

"Okay," Hedge said. "So you, me, Jason, and Leo distract him. Piper and Lydia sneak around and free him."

They all looked at Jason an I.

"What?" Jason said. "I'm not the leader."

"Jason it's OUR quest!" I said, face palming. "Okay. Hedge is right— we need a distraction. Stay optimistic guys. Please— we can make this work."

"Are you sure?" Jason asked grimly.

"Hey. I haven't died yet so let's have a little faith, okay?"

Leo nodded and cracked his fingers. "Alright. Let's boogie. Before I come to my senses."


	41. What Can I Say Except, You're Welcome, Athena

Let's just say the plan went bad right away.

Piper and I scrambled along the ridge. I was trying to keep her head down, my hand on my sword to shield her.

Lit, Jason, Leo, and the Coach walked straight out into the clearing, into Enceladus's field of view.

Jason had summoned his golden lance. "Giant!" He yelled confidently. "We are pathetic ants! Don't kill us!"

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," I hissed, forcing Piper down so she wouldn't pop her head into view. "What kind of improv was that?"

"It's improv!" Piper said frantically. "What do you expect?"

"Better! Especially from Jason! He should've like cracked a tree or something."

Piper winced as Enceladus stopped chanting. He turned to the others and grinned, his fangs like a saber toothed tiger's.

"Well," he rumbled. "What a nice surprise."

"Let the movie star go, you big ugly cupcake!" Hedge yelled.

"No!" I hissed. "That's gonna make him look over here!"

"Let him go or I'll plant my hoof right up your—"

"Coach," Jason said sharply. "Shut up."

Enceladus roared with laughter. "I've forgotten how funny satyrs are. When we rule the world, I think, I'll keep your kind around. You can entertain me while I eat the other mortals."

"Is that a compliment?" Hedge said. "I don't think that was a compliment."

Enceladus chuckled and opened his mouth wide, his teeth starting to glow.

"Scatter!" Leo yelled.

I watched them all dive different ways as a hot blast blew over them— the kind of thing that might've made Festus jealous.

Jason and Lit rose and charged at the giant. Hedge ripped off his zoot suit, which was now on fire, and bleated angrily. "I liked that outfit!" He raised his club and charged.

"Hurry," I whispered to Piper, urging her forward.

Enceladus slammed his spear into the ground, causing the mountain to shake.

I held back a shriek as a shockwave made the ground below us toss us in the air, which send Piper and I sprawling closer to her dad, but now in Enceladus's field of view.

The giant bellowed. "I see you Piper McLean!"

He blew fire at us, and Piper and I honestly would have been burned to death if Lit hadn't made a bush grow wildly, taking the flames and giving us a chance to scramble away.

He was helping Jason up, and both had their weapons out and ready.

Enceladus laughed. "I'm happy you've arrived. And you brought me my prizes! I've always wanted to meet the famous Lydia Castellan."

My gut twisted, and I felt my skin go pale.

We'd played right into his hands.

Enceladus seemed to read my expression. "That's right, daughter of Hermes. I didn't expect you all to stay alive this long, but it doesn't matter. By bringing you all here, Piper McLean has sealed the deal. If she betrays you, I'm as good as my word. She can take her father and go. What do I care about a movie star?"

Piper honestly look like she considered it as Enceladus waved his hand, and her father looked up wearily.

"Dad!" She yelled.

Mr. McLean blinked, trying to focus. "Pipes...? Where..."

Piper drew her dagger and faced Enceladus. "Let him go!"

"Of course dear," the giant rumbled. "Swear your loyalty to me, and we have no problem. Only these others must die."

She bit her lip, looking between her dad and I.

"Piper," I said cautiously. "Trust me— I've been... here before. Enceladus never swore on the River Styx. He'll go back on his deal. Don't trust him."

"Oh come now!" Enceladus bellowed. "You know I was born to fight Athena herself? Mother Gaea made each of us giants with a specific purpose, designed to fight and destroy a particular god. I was Athena's nemesis, the anti-Athena, you might say. Compared to some of my brethren— I am small! But I am clever. And I keep my bargain with you, Piper McLean. It's part of my plan!"

"Really?" I scoffed, trying to buy everyone some time to figure stuff out. "Anti-Athena? So you're... the dumbest one, then?"

Enceladus flinched. "What did you say to me, demigod?"

"I said you must be dumb. Because if you're the anti-Athena well... first of all you're a guy. Already dumber. Now if you're her nemesis... you're even dumber at that point. I'm not sure how seriously to take you, dude. I also think you've miscalculated all this. We're going to beat you, you know that, right?"

Enceladus shook with fury and roared— a call so loud it echoed down the valley and was probably heard all the way in Frisco.

At the edge of the woods, half a dozen ogre like creatures rose up. They'd risen straight out of the earth. Each stood about seven feet tall, with six arms. They wore only ragged leather loincloths, and even across the clearing, I could smell them. It was disgusting.

"What are those?" Leo asked, now beside me.

"Gegenees," I said. "The Earthborn. They fought the original Jason."

"Very good!" Enceladus said delightedly. "They used to live on a miserable place in Greece called Bear Mountain. Mount Diablo is much nicer."

"How?" I said, crossing my arms. The Earthborn looked easy to defeat. "Diablo means devil in spanish."

Enceladus's lips curled into a smile. "Exactly. They're lesser children of Mother Earth, but they serve their purpose. They're good with construction equipment—"

"Vroom vroom!" One of the Earthborn bellowed, and the others took up the chant, each moving his six hands as though driving a car, as if it were some kind of weird religious ritual. "Vroom, vroom!"

"Hey guys!" I said mockingly. "I'd love to join your religion!"

The Earthborn seemed to enjoy this, and chanted louder.

Good. They probably wouldn't see me as too much of an enemy now.

"Yes, thank you, boys," Enceladus said. "They also have a score to settle with heroes. Especially anyone named Jason."

"Yay-son!" The Earthborn screamed. They all picked up clumps of Earth, solidified in their hands, turning to nasty pointed stones. "Where Yay-son? Kill Yay-son!"

Enceladus smiled. "You see, Piper, you have a choice. Save your father, or, ah, try and save your friends and face certain death."

Piper stepped forward, her eyes blazing with rage. "You will not take the people I love. None of them."

Her words rippled across the clearing with such force, the Earthborn muttered "Okay, Okay, sorry," and began to retreat.

It would have been adorable if they were maybe four arms short and about three feet tall.

"Stand your ground, fools!" Enceladus bellowed. He snarled at Piper. "This is why we wanted you alive, my dear. You could have been so useful to us. But as you wish. Earthborn! I will show you Jason."

My heart sank as Enceladus pointed straight to Tristan McLean. "There is Jason. Tear him apart!"

Almost immediately, our minds became coordinated.

Lit and Piper sprinted to Mr. McLean, Piper to free him, and Lit to fight off the Earthborn. Leo charged at the tree harvester between Mr. McLean and the Earthborn.

Jason and I charged at Enceladus.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Piper cutting her father free as Lit took the frontline of Earthborn, and Leo started up the machine.

Hedge was still passed out with his goat tail sticking up in the air.

Jason and I were occupied fighting the giant.

I was glad to have him at my side, because he clearly had experience with dueling larger opponents, and we could coordinate with our speed to avoid getting fried and also play offensively.

Enceladus thrust his spear at Jason, so I dove and stabbed Enceladus in the ankle with my knife, twisting it to make a flood of ichor pour out.

The giant bellowed in pain and blasted him with fire. Jason scrambled away, rolling behind the giant, and struck him behind the knee as I charged in front, using Slasher to slice into the other leg.

It went on like this for quite awhile, just Jason and I attacking the giant with every ounce of strength while construction equipment roared. I could hear Lit, Leo, and Piper all yelling randomly— which meant they were all still alive.

I was not one to get distracted.

Unfortunately, for a split second, Jason did.

The ground stuck to his feet, and I had to block Enceladus's spear myself, otherwise it would have killed Jason.

Gaea seemed to be getting stronger, and the giant faster. Enceladus knew my attacks were more unpredictable, so when I noticed him analyzing Jason, I wasn't surprised. Jason had been trained the Roman way. Their attacks were always more predictable and repetitive.

"I am not some minor monster," Enceladus bellowed. "I am a giant, born to destroy gods! Your little gold toothpicks can't kill me!"

"Yeah, that's why your legs look like they belong on Edward Scissorhands!" I said tauntingly, dodging between them and stabbing upward, digging into Enceladus's spine.

The giant roared, making the floor shake. I could see Jason was exhausted now, and was struggling to keep the ground from swallowing his feet. Since I was constantly skipping around, Gaea couldn't trap me, but I know she was trying.

Jason raised his javelin to block Enceladus's strike. He cried out in pain as the spear grazed his shoulder. He backed up immediately, almost tripping over a burning log.

Enceladus laughed. "The mighty Jason Grace. Yes, we know about you, son of Jupiter. The one who led the assault on Mount Othrys. The one who single-handedly slew the Titan Krios and toppled the black throne."

Jason was completely dazed. "What are you talking about?"

Enceladus used this moment to blow fire right at him.

"JASON!" I screamed, leaping forward to throw him out of the way. I screamed again as both Jason and I were singed, blinded from all the ash and smoke.

I struggled to stand up, my back aching, whereas Jason stood up immediately, clearly full of determination. He charged and faked a strike, rolling between the giant's legs. He came up quickly, about to stab Enceladus in the small of his back. However the giant anticipated this. He stepped aside with blinding spine and swept his spear sideways. There was the sound of a shotgun blast, and Jason's javelin shattered.

Jason was thrown back from the force of the explosion, and thankfully Enceladus was too. The javelin seemed to have released so much energy, it boasted a perfect cone shaped pit thirty feet deep just meters from where I was still trying to get to my feet.

"Jason!" I yelled. "Get up!"

But clearly, Jason couldn't even move.

"Impressive!" Enceladus said. "Unfortunately that was your last trick, demigod."

He dove to me, and I didn't move in time before he wrapped me in his arm and threw me harshly to the ground. I screamed as I slammed on the dirt beside Jason, gasping for air as the wind was knocked out of me.

Enceladus leaped the crater in a single bound, planting his feet on either side of us. He raised his spear, its tip hovering six feet over Jason and I, as if deciding who to stab first.

"And now," Enceladus said, "my first sacrifices to Gaea!"

Time seemed to slow down. I hated that feeling, because it reminded me of Kronos.

I was sinking into the ground now, Gaea finally able to grab a hold of me because I couldn't move anymore.

I was paralyzed. I looked up and gulped as Enceladus cackled and began lowering his spear.

"HEADS UP!"

Leo's voice rang out seconds before a large black metal wedge slammed into Enceladus. The giant toppled over and slid into the pit.

"Jason, Lydia, get up!" Piper called. Immediately I was willed to my feet, even though I was shaky.

Piper rushed forward to grab Jason, and I felt Lit's strong arms wrapping around me.

"Back," I mumbled. "Burning..."

"I know— I know— we'll get you some ambrosia for that—" Lit shoved a square into my mouth, and I whimpered as I chewed on it.

I looked up at him and probably shot him the stupidest smile of my career— even stupider than the ones I shot at Medea.

He blushed and gripped my waist firmly to help me stand fully upright.

About a hundred feet behind him, Leo was standing over a piece of construction equipment— a long cannonlike thing with a single massive piston, the edge broken clear off.

I looked into the crater and saw that Enceladus was struggling to rise, a hydraulic ax blade the size of a washing machine stuck in his breastplate.

Amazingly, the giant pulled the ax blade free. He yelled in pain and the mountain trembled. Golden ichor soaked the front of his armor, but Enceladus stood.

Shakily, he bent down and retrieved his spear.

"Good try." The giant winced. "But I cannot be beaten."

The giant's armor began to mend itself, and the ichor stopped flowing. Even the cuts I'd made all over his legs were now pale scars.

Leo ran up to us, saw Enceladus, and cursed. "What is with this guy? Die, already?"

"He can't," I mumbled.

"Exactly, Lydia Castellan," Enceladus mused. "My fate is preordained. Giants cannot be killed by gods or heroes."

"Only by both," I said, a wicked plan forming in my head. "And I've been blessed by the gods. I was asked to become a goddess. I have more than half of a godly essence— since last year."

Enceladus's smile faltered. "You are not full goddess, little girl! And you will not live long enough to try and get a god with you!"

He did however look afraid. I did have more power than a regular demigod.

Enceladus began stumbling up the crater's slope.

"I have an idea," I said, furrowing my eyebrows. "Jason— brace yourself. You'll need to call on your father's help. I'm going to try... something. I think it can weaken him. Leo— get a rope from your tool belt."

Everyone nodded.

"Enceladus, look behind you!" Piper yelled convincingly.

He turned, like there might've been a giant spider on his back.

Lit and Jason launched themselves at the giant's legs at the right moment, slamming into the crater and sliding to the bottom. Lit and Jason both scrambled back up quickly, and I closed my eyes, visualizing the insides of the giant.

It was probably the most murderous thing I've ever done up to this point, and you can thank Annabeth for discovering that I could see inside creatures and machines.

I concentrated all my energy on Enceladus's heart, and slashed my arms upward.

The giant roared and grabbed his chest, his eyes bulging.

"Your turn, Jason!" I said, stumbling back.

He stepped forward and closed his eyes. Below us, Enceladus was gasping, as I'd practically torn his heart apart, and was making him leak ichor from the inside— something he could not easily fix.

"HIT THE DECK!"

Lit grabbed me and slammed me to the floor, his body completely shielding mine from the blast that followed.

Lightning cracked loudly and surged through Jason, and into the crater. The entire mountain rumbled and split, tearing apart the earth below us. Enceladus's legs slid into the chasm. He clawed helplessness at the glassy sides of the pit, and just for a moment managed to hold on to the edge, his hands trembling.

He fixed his eyes on me. "You have... won NOTHING... girl. My brothers are rising... and they are ten times as strong as I. We... will destroy the gods at their roots!" He licked his lips. "You are just... a murderer... you are no hero... this that you have done... is not a power of a demigod... you are a monster....you belong... in Tartarus... and you will DIE... and Olympus will die with—"

The giant lost his grip and fell into the crevice.

Lit dove forward and grabbed Jason's arm, yanking him back up to us before he fell with Enceladus.

We stood together, exhausted, and terrified, as the chasm closed like an angry mouth. The ground stopped pulling our feet.

"Well.... Gaea is gone," Lit said quietly.

But I couldn't really focus on what he was saying.

I was just remembering what Enceladus had said.

" _You are just... a murderer... you are no hero... this that you have done... is not a power of a demigod... you are a monster....you belong... in Tartarus... and you will DIE... and Olympus will die with_ —"

I don't know how I'd known I could practically rip people— and monsters— apart from the inside. But I'd been desperate to get rid of him— and save Piper's dad.

I looked at my hands, seeing that behind them, the mountainside was on fire. Smoke billowed hundreds of feet into the air. A helicopter was flying towards us.

All around us was carnage. The Earthborn had melted into piled of clay, leaving behind only their rock missiles and some nasty bits of loincloth. Construction equipment lay in ruins. The ground was scarred and blackened.

This wasn't even the worst battle I'd been in.

But morally, I felt like it was.

I'd used my knowledge that I had from Medical School for evil. For destruction. No doctor should do that.

"Hey."

I flinched as Lit grabbed my hands, and I looked up at him, barely realizing my eyes were watering.

He looked concerned, and like he could read my thoughts.

"You did what you had to do," he said, rubbing the back of my hand.

"How did you know that I was thinking of that?"

"Because I would be too, if someone said that to me. You're a hero. You've been a hero. They're the bad ones. Demigods... you— well, we— are supposed to do whatever it takes to defeat them."

"That... was evil, though. What I did. I ripped his heart to shreds with my bare hands...."

He cupped my face in his hands and craned my neck so he could look into my eyes.

"And in doing so you saved our lives," he said, stroking my cheek. "Frankly, I think it was pretty badass."

"It was cowardly... I should have fought him with my sword or something."

"It's not cowardly. You know why? I'm ninety nine percent sure I'm correct when I say you didn't even know you could do that, yes?"

"Yeah... I just assumed I might be able to. I don't know why, it's not a Hermes power."

"You think you were bluffing when you mentioned being more demigod than normal because you go offered immortality? You weren't wrong. The blessing of that amplified your powers. I'm sure it did it for your friend Percy too, when he got it offered to him. That's why you were able to do this. You could see mechanics because Hermes is a structured force. Communication. Anatomy. Creation. He is Hephaestus's brother. They have that in common. You can see structure and you can tear it down. And you had no idea you could do it, but you tried anyway, because you knew you had to defeat Enceladus. That, Lydia, is very brave."

He stepped closer, so our chests were now pressed together. "You just keep surprising me and being so amazing...."

I couldn't do anything but look into his eyes. I wasn't paying attention to Coach Hedge, who had now woken up. All I could see was Lit.

He blushed, his eyes scanning over my face. "Come on. Try and smile— it'll help you feel better. You saved us."

I half smiled, and he grinned, looking like an excited child.

He leaned in, and for a moment my stomach flipped, but then he pressed a kiss on my forehead.

It seems that broke me. I choked back a sob and leaned into his chest. His hands snaked down from my cheeks to my lower back, where he held me close to him in a protective embrace, like he was afraid someone might rip me from his arms.

"You smell really good," I mumbled.

His heart jumped against my temple as he laughed. "T-Thanks. It's a Demeter kid thing."

I giggled softly, and I noticed his heart did another small leap.

"Piper?"

I pulled away from Lit— though hesitantly— and looked across the clearing to the man who was staggering forward— Tristan McLean. His eyes were hollow, shell shocked, like someone who'd just waked through a nuclear wasteland.

"Piper?" He called again, his voice cracking. "Pipes, what— what is—"

Piper sprinted over to him and threw her arms around him, but Mr. McLean didn't seem to recognize her.

"We need to get him out of here," Jason said.

"Yeah, but how?" Leo said. "He's in no shape to walk and Lydia can't possibly teleport us right now—"

Jason glanced up at the helicopter, which was now circling directly overhead. "Leo, can you make us a bullhorn or something? Piper has some talking to do."


	42. We Hijack Some Helicopters

Piper didn't need to do much to convince the helicopter's pilot to land on the mountain. Thankfully the copter was big enough for medical evacuations or search and rescue, and when Piper told the very nice ranger pilot lady that it would be a great idea to fly them to the Oakland Airport, she readily agreed.

"No," her dad muttered as Jason and Leo struggled to pick him up off the ground. "Piper, what— there were monsters— there were monsters—"

"Mr. McLean," Lit said in a calm voice, slowly swatting Jason and Leo away. "I need you to trust us. Take a deep breath, okay?"

He picked him up with ease, which really only made my stomach flip more.

Lit was stronger than both Jason and Leo.

...not that it mattered in any situation except now but... dam...

Lit carried him into the copter, and Piper tried to whisper soothing words. "It'll be okay, Dad. These people are my friends. We're going to help you. You're safe now."

Mr. McLean blinked, and looked up at the helicopter rotors. "Blades. They had a machine with so many blades. They had six arms..."

"They're gone now," Lit said. "Don't worry. We're going to get you someplace safe. Does that sound good to you?"

Mr. McLean nodded weakly. "Good..."

"What's wrong with him?" The pilot asked as Lit set him inside.

"Smoke inhalation and severe dehydration," I said, climbing in and grabbing some examination gloves. "Do you have a fluid bag here?"

"Yes, but— we should get him to the hospital."

"She's a doctor," Piper said. "The airport is good."

"Yeah, the airport is good," the pilot agreed immediately. Then she frowned, as if uncertain why she'd changed her mind. "Isn't he Tristan McLean, the movie star?"

"No," Piper said. "He only looks like him. Forget it."

"Yeah," the pilot said. "Only looks like him. I—" she blinked, confused. "I forgot what I was saying. Let's get going."

I raised my eyebrows at Piper, trying to show her how impressed I was while I prepared the kit for the materials I needed. However, she looked miserable.

"Charmspeak can be a gift," I said quietly, so only she and maybe her father could hear me. I inserted a central line and began pumping him with fluids. "Drew made it a curse. You shouldn't be ashamed of this. You're not causing the pilot any harm."

"I'm twisting her mind," Piper whispered, swallowing back tears. "That's wrong."

"For the good of mankind. You don't do it to screw people over like Drew does. Trust me Piper, you're not as bad as her just because you use this power. It's pretty badass. You remind me a lot of your sister, Silena."

Piper half smiled, probably glad to be compared to her. I assumed the Aphrodite children must've told her how amazing she was.

The helicopter finally took off once everyone was on board. I was taking notes on Mr. McLean's condition, not really paying attention when Piper began to talk to her dad. I'd already been trained to do that— focus on my task and allow the patient and the patient's family to have their own discussions without invading their privacy.

In between their talk I would only butt in to examine his pupil dilation or to put him on oxygen, and insert a small feeding tube for the time being. Piper was holding his hand as I pumped a few more medicines, jotting down every single one I'd used due to which were unavailable.

I jumped slightly when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I looked up and saw Lit had crawled over, and was sitting on the floor beside me.

"Hey," he said, rubbing my back. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," I said simply, going back to examine Mr. McLean's reflexes.

"You're going to be a brilliant surgeon."

I flushed red. "I-I'm not doing anything out of the ordinary, just checking his vitals."

"Lydia, I've been watching you. You're calculating your medication amounts because your drip isn't set, like it would be in a hospital. You just hot-wired that heart monitor that wasn't working five minutes ago. And you've let Piper have her time with her dad while still being present. You... continue to amaze me."

I looked away, my cheeks feeling even hotter.

"You don't have to be embarrassed that you're smart. It's one thing to be humble, and another to deny you have brains."

"Can you stop complimenting me for like two seconds?" I asked sheepishly as he scooted closer to me.

He raised his eyebrows. "Okay. One Mississippi, two Mississippi— done. You look beautiful even when your face is covered in dirt."

I covered my face, feeling beyond flustered now.

"Fine, fine, I'll change the subject," he said. "Now let's see— favorite type of food?"

"Is this related to the date?"

"Well we're almost done with this quest and almost about to save Hera. That means you'll be going on a date with me."

I bit my lip. "Well I don't have a favorite type of food."

"How is that possible?" He furrowed his eyebrows.

"I didn't exactly grow up eating at five star restaurants," I chuckled. "And at camp I just ate whatever popped up... my brother usually got me the food to make sure I ate vegetables and not candy or something."

"Alright then. Needless to say my favorite is Greek food, probably because I'm basic."

I laughed. "More like that's what you've been eating for the past centuries."

"Hey, let me remind you I was dead for the majority of that time. I'm still what, twenty one? That's how old I think I was when I died. I'm not sure though, time is so different."

"We could go to a bar. You're legally allowed to drink."

"But you can't so what fun is that? Plus I don't really enjoy alcohol. I always like keeping my senses intact."

"Aren't you a Renaissance man?" I said with a short laugh.

"I think I get the reference," he said proudly. "And I didn't need a PowerPoint presentation for that."

"I'm surprised you remembered it was called a PowerPoint—"

"Don't doubt me, love, because I'm a man of surprise. You just have to trust and go with the flow."

I blushed, looking slightly away.

"Greek it is, then. Or we'll go somewhere with Greek and another— I don't know. I just want you to enjoy it."

"Trust me," I said, "I think I'll enjoy it no matter what."

"Why, you just like all food?"

"Because I'd be with you."

Do I get a point for that miserable attempt at flirting?

Lit blushed, so I guess I do get a point.

"You just wait," he said, a smirk being etched on his lips. "Once you let me kiss you..." he leaned slightly closer, "and you WILL, let me kiss you... I won't stop."

I gulped, but not out of fear, but anticipation. My stomach did an entire gymnastics routine as he very slowly pulled away, grinning like a maniac, probably because he could see just how nervous he'd made me.

"What is that?"

I snapped my head to look out over the East Bay hills. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary— just hills, woods, houses, little roads snaking through the canyons. A highway cut through a tunnel in the hills, connecting the Easy Bay with the inland towns.

"Where?" Piper asked.

"That road," Jason said. "The one that goes through the hills."

"Highway 24," I said immediately. "Caldecott Tunnel. Why?"

Jason stared intently at the tunnel entrance, but said nothing. It disappeared from view as we flew over downtown Oakland, but still Jason stared into the distance, his expression almost as unsettled as Mr. McLean.

Lit and I looked at each other.

He must have recognized an entrance. If anything, I was betting it was the entrance to his camp.

"Monsters," Mr. McLean mumbled, grabbing my hand. "I live in a world of monsters...."

____________

Air traffic control definitely didn't want to let an unscheduled helicopter land at the Oakland Airport— until Piper got on the radio. Then it turned out to be no problem.

They unloaded on the tarmac, and we all turned to Piper. It was her dad, and I assumed we all had the same idea— she deserved to make choices from here onward.

"What now?" Jason asked.

"First thing," she said. "I—I have to get my dad home. I'm sorry, guys."

Our faces fell.

"Oh," Leo said. "I mean, absolutely. He needs you right now. We can take it from here."

"Pipes, no..." Mr. McLean was looking around as he stumbled to his feet from his sitting position on the helicopter doorway. "You have a mission. A quest. I can't—"

"I'll take care of him," Coach Hedge said.

Piper stared at him. "You?"

"I'm a protector," Hedge said. "That's my job, not fighting."

He sounded a little crestfallen. I could tell that knowing he'd been knocked unconscious in battle must have left him a bit self conscious.

Hedge straightened and set his jaw. "Of course, I'm good at fighting too."

"You are," I said quickly.

"Definitely," Lit said.

"Terrifying," Leo and Jason agreed.

The coach grunted. "But I'm a protector, and I can do this. Your dad's right, Piper, you need to carry on with the quest."

"But..." Piper's eyes watered. "Dad..."

Mr. McLean hugged his daughter.

"Let's give them a minute," I said, yanking Jason and Leo away as they began to stare.

I led them aside, and looked around.

"So after here," Jason said, breaking the silence. "We head to Sonoma Valley."

"Yes," I said. "To the Wolf House in Glenn Ellen."

Jason nodded and walked a bit aways, Leo trailing behind him.

"After that, what happens?" Lit asked. "We stop Gaea and Porphyrion from rising, free Hera, then what?"

"Head back to Camp, I guess," I said. "Explain to everyone what happened and that you'll be joining us when you're not at school. My second semester starts as soon as New Year's passes so I'll go back to school, and I'm assuming you will too. Then in the summer... well I have a feeling we'll need to wait til then to get Percy. I just know. But he's okay. I can tell."

"Okay," Lit said. "You forgot our dates though. See, when we get back, we'll have a date on Christmas Eve. Then Christmas day we'll spend at Camp with your siblings and mine... who I hope won't hate me."

I tried to fight back a blush. "I'm sure they'll like you. The oldest is Katie and she's seventeen. They'll be glad to have an older brother."

"How many sisters do I have?"

"Well Katie's at college now in Brooklyn, so that's one you might not see. Miranda's the current senior counselor and she's sixteen... then there's about two other sisters and maybe two brothers. Sorry, I don't talk to them much. Katie and I didn't get along for awhile."

"Oh," he said, furrowing his eyebrows. "Why not?"

"She accused me of being Luke's spy."

"Ah." He nodded his head, seeming to agree it was a valid enough reason to be hostile with someone.

Hedge then waved us back, and he said his final goodbyes, making sure to glare at the rest of us. "You cupcakes take care of Piper, you hear? Or I'm gonna make you do push ups."

"You got it, Coach," Leo said, a smile tugging at his mouth.

"No push ups," Jason promised.

"Very safe and sound," Lit assured him.

Piper gave the old satyr one more hug. "Thank you, Gleeson. Take care of him, please."

"I got this, McLean," Hedge assured her. "They got root beer and veggie enchiladas on this flight, and one hundred percent linen napkins— yum! I could get used to this."

Trotting up the stairs, he lost one shoe, and his hoof was visible for just a second. The flight attendant's eyes widened, but she looked away and pretended nothing was wrong. Honestly, she'd probably seen stranger things at this point.

When the plane was heading down the runway, I heard a sob, and saw Piper was crying.

Almost immediately Jason wrapped her in his arms, and Leo awkwardly pulled out a Kleenex from his tool belt.

"Your dad's in good hands," Jason said. "You did amazing."

Lit watched uncomfortably. "Fresher demigods are not equipped to deal with loss and desperation in this manner. They never are."

I shook my head. Right now, Lit was the only person who understood why I wasn't taking time to comfort Piper.

Because this was normal. And this would happen again and again. Besides, we had a mission, and she needed to stop crying soon.

"Thank you guys," Piper said softly. "I—"

But her voice broke. She didn't continue.

Right next to Jason, the air began to shimmer.

"Iris message! Move!" I shoved him back as Thalia's image appeared.

Jason stumbled back in surprise. "Thalia!"

"Thank the gods!" She said. The scene behind her was hard to make out, but I could hear yelling, metal clashing on metal, and explosions.

"We've found her," Thalia said. "Where are you?"

"Oakland," Jason replied. "Where are you?"

"The Wolf House! We're holding off the giant's minions, but we can't hold them forever. Get here before sunset or it's all over."

"Then it's not too late?" Piper cried.

"Not yet," Thalia said. "But Lydia—" she looked at me. "It's worse than we realized. Porphyrion is rising. Hurry."

"You got it," I said, nodding my head and slashing through the Iris message with my hand. "Okay, by air, definitely faster. Let's move."

Piper turned to the ranger pilot, who'd been watching all this with an increasingly puzzled expression. "Ma'am, you don't mind helping us one more time, do you?"

"I don' mind," the pilot agreed.

"No," I said. "No— Piper— we can't take a mortal into battle." I looked at Leo. "Wanna help me fly this thing?"

He looked a bit shocked I asked him. But then he put his hand on the side of the helicopter, concentrating hard, as if listening to the machine.

"Bell 412HP utility helicopter," Leo said. "Composite four blade main rotor, cruising speed twenty two knots, service ceiling twenty thousand feet. The tank is near full. Hey— I can feel what's inside this thing just like you, Lydia!"

"Cousin power," I said encouragingly. "Want to try?"

"Hell yeah I want to try and fly it."

Piper smiled at the ranger again. "You don't have a problem with two unlicensed kids borrowing your copter, do you? We'll return it."

"I—" the pilot nearly choked on the words, but she got them out: "I don't have a problem with that."

Leo grinned and fist bumped me. "Hop in, kids. Uncle Leo and Mama Bear Lydia are gonna take you for a ride."

_____________

Let's just say that there are a couple reasons why I haven't taken my driving test.

One, I literally do not have time to practice. If I'm not being a fool at camp, I'm studying for normal school and medical school, and that takes up way too much of my time. And weekends I go and see my mom and every now and then do some jobs for people, steal back stuff from robbers and take it to the police and get compensation, find lost animals and give them back to their owners, etc, etc.

I've always just had to be occupied making a living for myself.

Two, remember the battle? Remember how awful I drove and how I miraculously got no one killed? That leaves me just a tad confused on whether I should be allowed to drive around innocent pedestrians and especially children. Despite not being as ADHD as my siblings, I don't think anyone wants a high energy and very stressed out eighteen year old on the freeway next to them.

Besides, who needs a license?

Leo and I got the hang of it pretty quickly.

It only took about a minute of me examining the controls from the inside and Leo from the outside for us to figure out basic maneuvers and how to keep a steady flight.

After that it was smooth sailing— well, flying. You get what I mean.

The sun was going down as we flew north over the Richmond Bridge. The day had gone so quickly, and I could hardly believe we were here already.

But then again after so many quests, time passes a little too fast for my taste.

Leo and I took turns steering because hey, equality, am I right? We really only compromised because I hogged it the first five minutes and he began to whine.

Every now and then I'd shift from confident driver to panicked young adult, which wasn't the best. I tried to keep my mind focused on the destination. Whenever I wasn't thinking about the fact I was literally flying a helicopter, I would flip switches with ease and check the necessary stats and keep the flight relatively straight.

Thankfully the pathway we took was straighter then me, wink wink.

Honestly I shouldn't be wondering this right now, but I wonder what Lit will say when I tell him I like both girls and guys.

"Doing okay?" Leo said, patting my shoulder.

I jumped a bit. "Er— yeah. Fine. Was just thinking."

"So you know this place, right? The Wolf House?"

"I know about it. Abandoned mansion in Glenn Ellen of Sonoma Valley. Built by a demigod, Jack London."

"He an actor?"

"Writer. Call of the Wild? White Fang? He's my half brother."

"Your half brother."

"Yep. Son of Hermes. Did you know Harriet Tubman is my half sister?"

"You get all the cool siblings, that's not fair!"

I laughed. "Anyways, Jack was an adventurer— traveled the world. He was even a hobo for awhile. Then he made a fortune writing. He bought a big ranch in the country and decided to build this huge mansion— the Wolf House."

"Named that 'cause he wrote about wolves?" Leo guessed.

"Partially."

I jumped and saw the others had come to the cockpit, and were sitting behind us.

"Er— sorry. But partially," Jason repeated, making me look at him. "But... the reason he wrote about wolves— he was dropping hints about his personal experience. There's a lot of holes in his life story. How he was born, who his dad was, why he wandered around so much— stuff you can only explain if you know he was a demigod."

"So Jack London... went to Camp Half-Blood?"

"No, he didn't," Jason said.

"Dude you're scaring me with all these random facts. Are you remembering your past?" Leo asked subtly.

"Pieces," Jason mumbled. "Only pieces. I've been listening to your conversation. And I remember... things. None of it good. The Wolf House is a sacred ground. It's where London started his journey as a child— where he found out he was a demigod. That's why he returned there. He thought he could live there, claim that land, but it wasn't meant for him. The Wolf House was cursed. It burned in a tire a week before he and his wife were supposed to move in. A few years later, London died, and his ashes were buried on the site."

"So," Piper said casually, "how do you know all this?"

"I started my journey there too," Jason said. "It's a powerful place for demigods— a dangerous place. If Gaea can claim it— use its power to entomb Hera on the solstice and raise Porphyrion— that might be enough to awaken the earth goddess fully."

"So we stop her from doing that for sure," I said, nodding my head. "And well Jason, now I know for sure what happened to you."

Leo and Piper looked confused. Lit nodded, and Jason winced.

"Let's just say Jack London was a son of Mercury," I said with a gentle smile. "Now—"

The helicopter shuddered. Metal creaked. I snapped my vision forward snd leveled out the chopper, and the creaking stopped.

"Sorry," I squeaked. "I'm an awful driver."

"I'll take over for a bit," Leo said.

I climbed out, and had to crawl over Jason and Piper to get to Lit, who was standing in the back, only partially listening.

"Hey," he said, a devilish smirk on his face.

Attractive. And very very problematic.

"H-Hi," I stuttered, looking away.

My mind was drawn back to what I'd considered earlier.

"So—"

"I'm gay."

He blinked, and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Well not gay— like full gay— but I'm gay. Bisexual. I like girls and guys. Of course I prefer guys— or at least I think I do, I've never been with a girl officially, just had really intense crushes on them and I...."

I stopped myself from rambling, my face red.

"Okay," he said slowly. "Am I supposed to say congratulations?"

"You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad that you know who you are and what you like? That's ridiculous. I'm not going to dictate how you should feel about people."

My eyes watered. "Okay... okay... good."

"What, you thought I wouldn't be accepting?" He shook his head. "I'm fine with it. Props to you. I don't like you any less. That makes me want to date you more know. I have to compete against ladies too? I better get in the best shape I can."

I blushed, and sank into a seat.

Okay, that went well. Abrupt, thanks to me not being able to keep my mouth shut, but well.

Lit smirked and sat next to me, taking my hand and caressing the back of it.

"I like you just the way you are," he mumbled, looking out the window.

"Thirty minutes out," Leo called. "You guys can all take a nap. Now's a good time. I got it."

"Are you sure?" I asked, a yawn striking me immediately.

"Yep. Uncle Leo's got it under control."

I smiled and leaned back on my seat, and fell asleep.

Fine, that's a lie. I took a riskier route, and it went well.

I smiled, leaned to my side, resting my head on Lit's shoulder. I felt him tense slightly, but he relaxed after a few seconds and put his arm around me, rubbing my back.

That pretty much lulled me right to sleep.


	43. Evil Elsa Won't Let It Go, the Sequel

There was a sudden noise that broke out that snapped me awake.

I found that from being on Lit's shoulder I'd transitioned to his lap. He was still asleep, one of his hands under his head to hold it up, the other resting around my shoulder.

As much as I didn't want to, I wiggled out of his arms and rubbed my eyes, the sound of rocks hitting the windshield growing louder.

"Why—" I began, until I looked out the window. It was sleet. Frost built up around the edges of the glass, and slushy waves of ice blotted out my view.

"An ice storm?" Piper shouted over the engine and the wind, which made Lit snap awake. "Is it supposed to be this cold in Sonoma?"

"I'm no meteorologist but this isn't normal," I said, putting my hand on the window.

Lit looked out, and growled. "She's at it again."

"Who?" Jason asked as he stretched his arms, still half asleep.

"Khione," Lit said.

"Wait— the ice princess?" Piper asked.

"Yes. She is a minion of Gaea's— I thought I told you."

"No, but I'm glad we know now," I hissed. "I knew something was up with that bitch."

"I don't like her either— never did. Geez, that woman can't take a joke. Plus she's very dramatic. Left a storm in my room when I didn't agree to go to her house."

I raised my eyebrows. "So she... liked you."

"I don't know if she liked me or wanted to kill me, honestly," Lit said.

I felt a bit of jealousy, and I think my face might've made that prevalent, because Lit smirked.

"Trust me," he said in a low voice as he leaned closer to me, "she's got nothing on you, even if she's an official goddess."

My cheeks turned pink and I swallowed. "I didn't say she—"

"I can see you thinking it. Are you jealous that she might've wanted me for herself?" He said, throwing in a sneaky wink.

"Shut up," I said, going into the cockpit to avoid having to answer.

Look, once you start getting attached to someone, you start getting jealous of anyone that wants or wanted them because you already know that they're yours, and no one else's.

Leo was busy wrestling the stick, so when he saw me come, he handed it to me. "Your problem now, Mama Bear!"

"First of all don't call me that and wow, thanks Leo, I'll treasure this forever."

I sat down in the seat and jerked the stick side to side, closing my eyes.

"WHY ARE YOU CLOSING YOUR EYES?" Leo shrieked.

"I'm looking at the controls, shut up!" I hissed. I could see inside everything was intact, but snow and ice were starting to seep in. "Damn it— damn it— we need to land as soon as possible."

Below us, the ground was a dark quilt of trees and fog. The ridge of a hill loomed in front of us and I barely cleared the treetops.

"There!" Jason shouted.

A small valley opened up before us, with the murky shape of a building in the middle. Leo aimed the helicopter straight for it. All around them were flashes of light that reminded me of the tracer fire at Midas's compound. Trees cracked and exploded at the edges of the clearing. Shapes moved through the mist. Combat seemed to be everywhere.

"Set it down right in that field!" Leo yelled.

I swerved downward, and managed to not kill anyone when I landed. I killed the engine immediately. "EVERYONE OUT! NOW!"

We barely made it out before a gigantic snowball smashed the helicopter, shaking the ground beneath us.

"You guys all right?" Lit said as he ran to me, yanking me out of the snow and mud.

"Yep," Leo said as he shivered. "Guess we owe that ranger lady a new helicopter."

"That's the least of our problems," I said, looking around, still holding Lit's hand. "The fight is EVERYWHERE."

The sounds of combat rang across the valley. The snow and mist made it hard to tell for sure, but there seemed to be a circle of fighting all around the Wolf House.

Behind us loomed the massive ruin of red and gray stones and rough-hewn timber beams. I could imagine it must've looked like a combination of a log cabin and castle before it burned down— like a billionaire lumberjack might build. But in the mist and sleet, the place had a lonely, haunted feel.

"JASON! LYDIA!"

I whirled around. Thalia appeared from the fog, her parka caked with snow. Her bow was in her hand, and her quiver was almost empty. She ran toward us, but made it only a few steps before an Earthborn burst put of the storm behind her, a raised club in each hand.

"THALIA!" I screamed, pointing to what was behind her.

Thalia launched herself into a flip, notching an arrow as she pivoted like a gymnast and landed in a kneeling position. The ogre got a silver arrow right between the eyes and melted into a pile of clay.

Thalia stood and retrieved her arrow, but the point had snapped off. "That was my last one." She kicked the pile of clay resentfully. "Stupid ogre."

"Nice shot thought," Leo piped up.

She came over and hugged Jason and I, then nodded to the others. "Just in time. My Hunters are holding a perimeter around the mansion, but we'll be overrun any minute."

"By Earthborn?" Jason asked.

"And wolves— Lycaon's minions." Thalia blew a fleck of ice off her nose. "Also storm spirits—"

"But we gave them to Aeolus!" Piper protested.

"Who tried to kill us," Leo reminded her. "Maybe he's helping Gaea again."

"I don't know," Thalia said. "But the monsters keep reforming almost as fast as we can kill them. We took the Wolf House with no problem: surprised the guards and sent them straight to Tartarus. But then this freak snowstorm blew in. Wave after wave of monsters started attacking. Now we're surrounded. I don't know who or what is leading the assault, but I think they planned this. It was a trap to kill anyone who tried to rescue Hera."

"Khione, according to Lit," I said. "Snow goddess."

"The only time I've ever heard of her is when you mentioned her before. I don't know who she thinks she is—"

"Where is Hera?" Jason interrupted.

"Inside," Thalia said. "We tried to free her, but we can't figure out how to break the cage. It's only a few minutes until the sum goes down. Hera thinks that's the moment when Porphyrion will be reborn. Plus, most monsters are stronger at night. If we don't free Hera soon—"

She didn't need to finish the thought.

Without hesitation, we followed her into the ruined mansion.

As soon as Jason stepped over the threshold, collapsed

"Hey!" Leo caught him. "None of that, man. What's wrong?"

"This place..." Jason shook his head. "Sorry... It came rushing back to me."

"So you have been here," Piper said.

"We both have," Thalia said. Her expression was grim, like she was relieving someone's death. "This is where my mom took us when Jason was a child. She left him here, told me he was dead. He just disappeared."

"She gave me to the wolves," Jason murmured. "At Hera's insistence. She gave me to Lupa."

"That part I didn't know." Thalia frowned. "Who is Lupa?"

An explosion shook the building. Just outside, a blue mushroom cloud blowed up, raining snowflakes and ice like a nuclear blast made of cold instead of heat.

"Maybe this isn't the time for questions," Leo suggested. "Show us the goddess."

Once inside, Jason seemed to get his bearings. The house was built like a giant U, and Jason led us between the two wings to an outside courtyard with an empty reflecting pool. At the bottom of the pool, just as Jason had described from his dream before, two spires of rock in root tendrils had cracked through the foundation.

One of the spires was much bigger— a solid dark mass about twenty feet high, and to me it looked like a stone body bag. Underneath the mass of fused tendrils, I could make out the shape of a head, wide shoulders, a massive chest and arms, like the creature was stuck in waist deep in the earth. No, not stuck— rising.

"It's a giant womb," I whispered, mostly to myself. I found that Lit had been caressing the back of my hand with his thumb. I didn't pull away.

On the opposite end of the pool, the other spire was smaller and more loosely woven. Each tendril was as big as a telephone pole, with so little space between them that I doubted I could've even gotten my arm through. Still, I could see inside. And in the center of the cage stood Hera.

Leo dropped into the pool and approached the cage. "Hola, Tia. Little bit of trouble?"

She crossed her arms and sighed in exasperation. "Don't inspect me like I'm one of your machines, Leo Valdez. Get me out of here!"

Thalia stepped next to him and looked at the cage with distaste— or maybe she was simply looking at the goddess within. "We tried everything we could think of, Leo, but maybe my heart wasn't in it. If it was up to me, I'd just leave her there."

"Ohh, Thalia Grace," Hera hissed. "When I get put of here, you'll be sorry you were ever born."

"Save it!" Thalia snapped. "You've been nothing but a curse to every child of Zeus for ages. You sent a bunch of intestinally challenged cows after my friend Annabeth—"

"She was disrespectful!"

"You dropped a statue on my legs."

"It was an accident!"

"And you took my brother!" Thalia's voice cracked with emotion. "Here— on this spot. You ruined our lives. We should leave you to Gaea!"

"Hey," Jason intervened. "Thalia— Sis— I know. But this isn't the time. You should help your Hunters."

Thalia clenched her jaw, looking at him like she might ask him to reconsider.

"Thalia," I said gently. "You know we have to let her out. Even if you don't like her, I know you understand that she's important, and we have to get her out."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Fine. For you, and Jason. But if you ask me, she isn't worth it."

Thalia turned, leaped out of the pool, and stormed from the building.

Leo turned to Hera. "Intestinally challenged cows?"

"Focus on the cage, Leo," she grumbled. "And Lydia, I always knew I liked you best."

I turned away to roll my eyes, playing it off like I was walking back to stand beside Lit.

"As for you, Jason— you are wiser than your sister. I chose my champion well."

"I'm not your champion, lady," Jason said. "I'm only helping you because you stole my memories, and you're better than the alternative. Speaking of which, what's going on with that?"

He nodded to the other spire, which seemed to have grown.

"That, Jason, is the king of the giants being reborn. Porphyrion— the strongest of his kind. Gaea needed a great deal of power to raise him again— my power. For weeks I've grown weaker as my essence was used to grow him a new form."

"So you're like a heat lamp," Leo said. "Or fertilizer."

I held back a snort.

"Joke all you wish," Hera said in a clipped tone. "But at sundown, it will be too late. The giant will awake. He will offer me a choice: marry him, or be consumed by the earth. And I cannot marry him."

"Um, well, you could, and use it as a plot to stab him in the back," Lit suggested meekly. "Think about it, you pledge your allegiance, and sneak a demigod in to help you destroy him."

Hera flinched, like she hadn't considered it. Regardless, she narrowed her eyes.

"Don't be foolish, son of Demeter, that will not stop Porphyrion. We will all be destroyed. And as we die, Gaea will awaken."

"Then it'll be funky time," I said sarcastically.

Lit's lip twitched, and Leo frowned at the giant's spire. "Can't we blow it up or something?"

"Without me, you do not have the power," Hera said. "You might as well try to destroy a mountain."

"Excellent, we did that today already," I mused.

"Just hurry up and let me out!" Hera demanded.

Jason scratched his head. "Leo, can you do it?"

"I don't know," Leo said. "Besides, if she's a goddess, why hasn't she busted herself out?"

Hera paced furiously around her cage, cursing very vividly in Ancient Greek. "Use your brain, Leo Valdez. I picked you because you're intelligent. Once trapped, a god's power is useless. Your own father trapped me once in a golden chair. It was humiliating! I had to beg— beg him for my freedom and apologize for throwing him off Olympus."

"Sounds fair," Leo said.

"Hey, be nice to your grandma," I said with a snicker.

Hera glared at me, then gave Leo the godly stink guy. "I've watched you since you were a child, son of Hephaestus, because I knew you could aid me at this moment. If anyone can find a way to destroy this abomination, it is you."

"But it's not a machine. It's like Gaea thrust her hand out of the ground and..." he trailed off. "Hold on... I do have an idea. Piper, I'm going to need your help. And we're going to need time."

The air turned brittle with cold. The temperature dropped so fast, my lips cracked and my breath changed to mist. Frost coated the walls of the Wolf House. Venti rushed in— but instead of winged men, they were shaped like horses, with dark storm cloud bodies and manes that crackled with lightning. Some had silver arrows sticking out of their flanks. Behind them came red wolves and Earthborn.

Piper drew her dagger. Lit and I drew our swords. Jason grabbed an ice covered plank off the pool floor. Leo extracted a hammer from his toolbelt.

One of the wolves padded forward. It was dragging a human size statue by the leg. At the edge of the pool, the wolf opened its maw and drop the statue for us to see— an ice sculpture of a girl, an archer with short spiky hair and a surprised look on her face.

"Thalia!" Jason and I screamed. We rushed forward, but were held back. The ground around Thalia's statue was already webbed with ice.

"Khione!" Lit snarled behind me. "Show yourself you evil bitch!"

I wasn't even startled when her figure appeared before us, a dagger of ice in her hand.

"I'd prefer to be called a witch, Lityerses," she said coldly (no pun intended) as she glared down at us. Her lips curved into a smile. "And you said you needed time, son of Hephaestus? Time is one things you simply do not have."

She looked at Jason. "Don't worry, son of Jupiter, your sister is not dead. She and her Hunters will make fine toys for our wolves. I thought we'd defrost them one at a time and hunt them down for amusement. Let them be the prey for once."

The wolves snarled appreciatively.

"Yes, my dears." Khione kept her eyes on Jason. "Your sister almost killed their king, you know. Lycaon's off in a cave somewhere, no doubt licking his wounds, but his minions have joined us to take revenge for their master."

"Wait a second," I said, desperate to try and give us all some extra time to figure something out. "You said 'our wolves' and you called them your 'dears' and yet you said they're Lycaon's 'minions.'"

Khione flinched. "Yes, and?"

"Well, as you can see from my evidence... you allude to you and Lycaon being um... together."

Khione's eyes flared with fury. "Excuse me?"

"Well you make it seem like you guys own the wolves together which is um... couple goals, you know. What's your— er— ship name? Khycaon sounds really weird— maybe Lyione? Um—"

"Shut up you insolent brat!" Khione hissed. "You're just like your father, always running your mouth when you shouldn't! Your comments can't stop us! Soon, Porphyrion will arise, and we shall rule the world!"

"Traitor!" Hera screeched. "You meddlesome, D-list goddess! You aren't worthy to pour my wine, much less rule the world."

Khione seemed to immediately forget my comment. She sighed. "Tiresome as ever, Queen Hera. I've been wanting to shut you up for millennia."

Khione waved her hand, and ice encased the prison, sealing in the spaces between the earthen tendrils.

"That's better," the snow goddess said. "Now, demigods, about your death—"

Jason seemed to catch onto my 'buy us time' drift. "You're the one who tricked Hera into coming here. You gave Zeus the idea of closing Olympus."

The wolves snarled, and the storm spirits whinnied, ready to attack, but Khione held up her hand. "Patience, my loves. If he wants to talk, what matter? The sun is setting, and time is on our side."

She looked fixedly at Jason. "Of course, Jason Grace. Like snow, my voice is quiet and gentle, and very cold. It's easy for me to whisper to the other gods, especially when I am only confirming their own deepest fears. I also whispered in Aeolus's ear that he should issue an order to kill demigods. It is a small service for Gaea, but I'm sure I will be well rewarded when her sons the giants come to power."

"Fat chance!" I cut in. "She's selfish! She won't let you share any glory!"

"I have proven myself to her!" Khione snapped. "I attempted to kill you in Quebec. Your quest itself was suicidal— I fully expected you to fail."

"Aw, a bit of a messed up calculation on your part, don't you think?" I said, a malicious look of pity on my face.

Leo seemed to come to a realization. "You knocked our dragon out of the sky over Detroit. Those frozen wires in his head— that was your fault. You're gonna pay for that."

"You're also the one who kept Enceladus informed about us," Piper added. "We've been plagued by snowstorms the whole trip."

"Yes, I feel so close to all of you now!" Khione said. "Once you made it past Omaha, I decided to ask Lycaon to track you down so Jason could die here, at the Wolf House." Khione smiled at him. "You see, Jason, your blood spilled on this sacred ground will taint it for generations. Your demigod brethren will be outraged, especially when they find the bodies of these two from Camp Half Blood. They'll believe the Greeks have conspired with giants. It will be... Delicious."

"They wouldn't be stupid enough to believe it," I said, though I wasn't sure. I didn't know how the Romans might run their camp. "Like I said before, Gaea is just using you as her pawn. She won't leave you anything. You won't be able to witness the destruction you want, because when she's done with you, she'll get rid of you. I watched Kronos do it mercilessly."

"Exactly," Piper agreed. "Call off your monsters."

Khione hesitated, then laughed. "Your persuasive powers are improving, girl. But I am a goddess. You can't charm speak me. We wind gods are creatures of chaos! I'll overthrow Aeolus and let the storms run free. If we destroy the mortal world, all the better! They never honored me, even in Greek times. Humans and their talk of global warming. Ha! I'll cool them down quickly enough. When we retake the ancient places, I will cover the Acropolis in snow."

She turned to me. "As for you. My my, aren't you crafty. I can see why Lit likes you. He's always enjoyed someone with a dark side, someone who is manipulative and scheming, and wants to twist the way others perceive things. Yes, in that aspect you are JUST like your father. You may not think you are dark, Lydia Castellan, but I think you are the darkest one here. You don't think I watched you tear Enceladus apart with your mere mind? Well I did. And that is not something a demigod should be able to do. Gaea will not destroy me, but she will destroy you. You are not a force we want alive."

"Have fun killing me," I said, forcing a smirk, even though I felt incredibly self conscious now. "Because Kronos himself couldn't, and he was a titan."

Khione flinched, and turned her attention to Leo. "What about you, son of Hephaestus? I know you find me beautiful. You could join me. It would be enough for my plan if those others were to die. Reject that ridiculous destiny the Fates have given you. Live and be my champion, instead. Your skills would be quite useful."

Leo looked stunned, then laughed so hard he doubled over. "Yeah, join you. Right. Until you get bored of me and turned me into a Leosicle? Lady, nobody messes with my dragon and gets away with it. I can't believe I thought you were hot."

Khione's face turned red. "Hot? You dare insult me? I am cold, Leo Valdez. Very, very cold."

She shot a blast of wintry sleet at us, and Lit stepped in front of me to shield me.

But we quickly found he hadn't needed to do that. Leo had held up his hand, creating a wall of fire that roared to life in front of us, dissolving the snow in a steamy cloud.

Leo grinned. "See, lady, that's what happens to snow in Texas. It— freaking— melts."

Khione hissed. "Enough of this! Hera is failing, and Porphyrion is rising! Kill the demigods, especially these three!" She pointed to Lit, Jason, and I, then smiled wickedly. "Lityerses, you sealed your fate when you chose that weak demigod over me. Now, you'll get to die beside her. Let them be our king's first meal!"

The monsters didn't hesitate to charge, and neither did we.


	44. The Monsters Require Tylenol and Vaporub

A wolf launched itself at Jason, who was the furthest forward. Even though he was only holding a scrap of wood, he swung it at the beast's snout. Maybe only silver could kill it, but I guess a good old whack in the head might be useful too.

After that some storm spirit horse thing launched itself at him, so I decided it was the perfect time to start weaving through the wolves and taking advantage of my silver knife.

Lit was doing his best with his sword, injuring wolves left and right before they could hurt Jason, Piper, or Leo.

Meanwhile I'd jumped into the center of the pack, and flicked my knife through the air. Several wolves howled and burst into dust. When I caught the knife it didn't look silver anymore, as it was covered in blood. The wolves shifted uneasily, looking like they wanted to retreat.

"Aw, poor puppies are scared?" I said mockingly.

Don't get me wrong, I love dogs (and cats too, let's not get into that debate) but these weren't dogs— not to me. They were murderous creatures doing Lycaon's every bidding, so I had no trouble setting aside my love for dogs to kill them.

One wolf was bold, and charged me head on.

It didn't even get to bite me before I'd dug the knife through its throat.

From there I simply moved around, cutting left and right. Soon Lit and I transitioned to be back to back— him taking care of the wolves that might attack me from behind, and me killing the ones that might stop him from hurting their fellow pack members. (Jeez that makes them sound like they're part of a book club or something).

All around me I could see fighting. Jason was trying to tame some wild horse spirit.

Piper was surrounded by Earthborn, and was doing really good by herself. She was so impressive looking as she fought, almost glowing with beauty, that the Earthborn stared at her in awe, forgetting that they were supposed to kill her. They'd lower their clubs and watch dumbfounded as she smiled and charged them. They'd smile back— until she sliced them apart with her dagger, and they melted into mounds of mud.

Leo had taken on Khione herself. While fighting a goddess should've been suicide, Leo was the right man for the job. She kept summoning ice daggers to throw at him, blasts of winter air, tornadoes of snow. Leo burned through all of it. His whole body flickered with red tongues of flame like he'd been doused with gasoline. He advanced on the goddess, using two silver tipped ball peen hammers to smash any monsters that got in his way.

I quickly realized Leo was the only reason any of us were still alive. His fiery aura was heating up the whole courtyard, countering Khione's winter magic. Without him, we would've frozen like the Hunters long ago. Wherever Leo went, ice melted off the stones. Even Thalia started to defrost a little when Leo stepped near her.

Khione slowly backed away. Her expression went from enraged to shocked to slightly panicked as Leo got closer.

"We're out of enemies!" Lit said suddenly, snapping me back to reality to see we'd killed every last wolf. Piper had just stabbed the last Earthborn, and Jason was riding one of the horse storm spirits, having just slashed through the last ventus.

We approached where Leo was bearing down on the goddess of snow.

"You're too late," Khione snarled. "He's awake! And don't think you've won anything here, demigods. Hera's plan will never work. You'll be at each other's throats before you can ever stop us."

"Sure, lady," I said. "That's why we've killed all your wolves and storm spirits after you said we wouldn't be able to. Go figure."

She snarled again, and Leo set his hammers ablaze and threw them at her— but she turned to snow, and vanished.

Piper was breathing hard, but she managed to pat me on the back then look at Jason. "Nice horse."

"Yeah, he looks like a little sweet heart," I said as the horse reared on its hind legs, arcing electricity across his hooves. A complete show off.

"His name's Tempest," Jason said.

"Hello, Tempest!" I said pleasantly, though I didn't dare touch him.

There was a cracking sound behind us. The melting ice on Hera's cage sloughed off in a curtain of slush and the goddess called, "Oh, don't mind me! Just the queen of the heavens, dying over here!"

"Oh calm down, Hera," I said as we neared the cage. "We wouldn't have been able to even try and free you with all those monsters."

Leo looked at her and frowned. "Uh, Tía Callida, are you getting shorter?"

"No, you dolt! The earth is claiming me. Hurry!"

As much as I dislike Hera, what I saw inside the cage alarmed me. Not only was Hera sinking, but the ground was also rising around her like water in the tank. Liquid rock had already covered her shins. "The giant wakes! You only have seconds!"

"On it," Leo said. "Piper, I need your help. Talk to the cage. Use everything you've got. Convince Gaea to sleep. Lull her into a daze. Just slow her down, try to get the tendrils to loosen while I—"

"Right!" Piper cleared her throat and said, "Hey Gaea. Nice night, huh? Boy, I'm tired. How about you? Ready for some sleep?"

"Lit I might need you soon, too," Leo said. "Be on standby. You'll be able to help her get the earth to settle down while she lulls her to sleep."

"Got it," Lit said, smiling a bit. I could tell he was proud— this meant Leo trusted him now.

Piper continued to talk. The more she did it, the more confident she sounded. I felt my own eyes getting heavy, and found myself leaning on Lit, so I had to force myself not to focus on her words. It seemed to have some effect on the cage. The mud was rising more slowly. The tendrils seemed to soften just a little— becoming more like a tree roots than rock. Leo pulled a circular saw out of his toolbelt. How it fit there, I had no idea. Then we looked at the cord and grunted and frustration. "I don't have anywhere to plug it in!"

"Try and get out a wireless model, then!" I said. "I'm sure they make them. "I don't have time to head down to town and steal one."

Seems everyone had gotten used to me just casually offering to steal things.

"Wait!" Jason said, Tempest now whinnying beside him. "Really?"

"Um," Leo said. "Is he talking to the horse—?"

I didn't respond, because Tempest came forward and dipped his head. Leo looked dubious but held up the plug, and a breeze whisked it into the horse's flank. Lightning sparked, connecting with the prongs of the plug, and the circular saw whirred to life.

"Sweet!" Leo grinned. "Your horse comes with AC outlets."

"Dam," I whistled. "Does he come with a cupholder too?"

"Lydia he's a horse, not a car!"

"Well they say the engines have a certain number of horsepower, right? Geez, just trying to lighten the mood, guys."

Lit laughed, coming closer to me, and draping his arm around my shoulder.

"You, are so badass," he said, leaning in and pressing a kiss on my forehead.

Let me note here that my insides were once again doing gymnastics.

"T-Thanks," I stuttered. "You did awesome too. Seems like you know what you're doing."

"Oh, I don't know, maybe just slightly," he said, smirking down at me, clearly knowing what effect he'd had on me. "But if I truly knew what I was doing, I'd have defeated the monsters faster and still had time to kiss you for a good amount of time."

I opened my mouth to answer, however, his comment was left unanswered. On the other side of the pool, the giant's spire had crumbled with a sound like a tree snapping in half. Its outer sheath of tendrils exploded top down, raining stone and wood shards as the giant shook himself free and climbed out of the earth.

"I probably should have mentioned what he was going to look like," Lit mumbled, his hand gripping mine firmly.

Porphyrion was even taller than Enceladus, and even more ripped. He didn't radiate heat, or show any signs of breathing fire, but there was something more terrible about him— a kind of strength, even magnetism, as if the giant were so huge and dense he had his own gravitational field.

Like Enceladus, the giant king was humanoid from the waist up, clad in bronze armor, and from the waist down he had scaly dragon's legs; but his skin was the color of lima beans. His hair was green as summer leaves, braided in long locks and decorated with weapons— daggers, axes, and full size swords, some of them bent and bloody— maybe trophies taken from demigods eons before. When the giant opened his eyes, they were blank white, like polished marble. He took a deep breath.

"Alive!" He bellowed. "Praise to Gaea!"

"First of all," I squeaked in a small voice, "why are his eyes... like that...."

I gulped. "Okay— Leo and Piper keep working. Jason, Lit, and I— yes, I'm volunteering you two— are going to charge the giant."

"What?" Piper cried. "You can't seriously—"

"Entertain a giant?" I said grimly. "We gave no choice."

Leo winced. "Fine. But Lit if we need you we're calling you out."

Lit nodded. "Alright."

The three of us walked forward.

"Excellent!" The giant roared as Jason approached. "An appetizer! Who are you— Hermes? Ares?"

"Jeez, I wish!" I said loudly. "Nah, I'm Lydia Castellan. Daughter of Hermes. I was going to be the goddess of swordfighters though, if you're looking to challenge a more godly being."

Porphyrion snorted. "Aren't you bold, demigod? And you two, who are you?"

"Lityerses," Lit said, taking out his sword. "Son of Midas and Demeter. Reaper of Men."

"You have a nickname," Porphyrion said, looking like he wanted to laugh. "And you— the other boy."

"I'm Jason Grace. Son of Jupiter."

At this, Porphyrion threw back his head and laughed. "Outstanding!" He looked up at the cloudy night sky. "So, Zeus, you sacrifice a son to me? The gesture is appreciated, but it will not save you."

"If you knew who I was," Jason yelled up boldly, "you'd be worried about me, not my father. I hope you enjoyed your two and a half minutes of rebirth, giant, because we're about to send you right back to Tartarus."

The giant's eyes narrowed. He planted one foot outside the pool and crouched to get a better look at us. "So we'll start by boasting, shall we? Just like old times! Very well, demigods. I am Porphyrion, king of the giants, son of Gaea. In olden times, I rose from Tartarus, the abyss of my father, to challenge the gods. To start the war, I stole Zeus's queen." He grinned at the goddess his cage. "Hello, Hera."

"My husband destroyed you once, monster!" Hera said. "He'll do it again!"

"But he didn't, my dear! Zeus wasn't powerful enough to kill me. He had to rely on a puny demigod to help, and even then, we almost won. This time, we will complete what we started. Gaea is waking. She has provisioned us with many fine servants. Our armies will shake the earth— and we will destroy you at the roots."

"You wouldn't dare," Hera said, but she was weakening. I could hear it in her voice. Despite Leo and Piper's attempts, the earth was still rising inside her prison, covering her up to her waist.

"Lit, a little help!" Leo hissed. Lit looked at me, and I waved for him to go. Reluctantly, he went over and tossed his sword aside, pressing his hands on the tendrils.

"Oh yes, I would dare," the giant said. "The Titans sought to attack your new home in New York. Bold, but ineffective. Gaea is wiser and more patient. And we, her greatest children, are much, much stronger than Kronos. We know how to kill you Olympians once and for all. You must be dug up completely like rotten trees— your eldest roots torn and burned."

"That's funny," I said, scratching my chin. "Because their oldest roots are the same as yours. The gods are your nephews, are they not? Children of your titan half-siblings? Their grandmother is your mother. You are all stemming from Chaos. So... you're playing yourself. You intend to destroy them at their roots and really, that's just destroying yourself. You're setting yourself up for failure."

Porphyrion growled. "Idiot girl! We are not setting ourselves up for failure! I myself was created to be Zeus's replacement, born to destroy the lord of the sky. I shall take his throne. I shall take his wife— or, if she will not have me, I will let the earth consume her life force. What you see before you, child, is only my weakened form. I will grow stronger by the hour, until I am invincible. But I am already quite capable to smashing you to a grease spot!"

"Eh, good luck with that," I said. "We don't have as much fat as normal monsters. I don't think we'll make a proper grease spot."

Porphyrion scowled, and rose to his full height. When he held out his hand, a twenty foot spear shot from the earth. Hr grasped it, then stomped the ground with his dragon's feet. The ruins shook. All around the courtyard, the Earthborn and dead wolves began to regather— all answering the giant king's call.

"Great," Leo muttered. "We needed more enemies."

"Hurry!" Hera hissed.

"I know!" Leo snapped.

"Go to sleep, cage," Piper said as Lit lowered his arms— the task looking like it was straining him beyond belief. Some of the tendrils were loosening with his and Piper's combined power, and the earth sunk down a bit from around Hera. "Nice sleepy cage. Yes, I'm talking to a bunch of earthen tendrils. This isn't weird at all."

"Just— keep— talking!" Lit choked, his face contorted in pain.

Porphyrion raked his spear across the top of the ruins, destroying a chimney and spraying wood and stone across the courtyard. "So, children of Zeus and Hermes! I have finished my boasting. Now, it's your turn. What were you saying about destroying me?"

"Follow my lead!" I hissed as I stepped forward. My hands began to glow as I brought out Slasher. "I am the daughter of Hermes! You think that that's nothing? I am the only child of his in the past eons who has enough power to match even the eldest of the gods! Kronos himself could not kill me with his scythe, and I brought upon him defeat. I have defeated countless monsters, including the ancient Kampê and Geryon, and have defeated drakons far worse than them. I ripped Enceladus apart without even touching him. You want to challenge me? Go right ahead."

Porphyrion faltered, and Jason jumped in.

"I am the son of Jupiter!" He shouted, making the winds lift him off the ground. "I'm a child of Rome, consul to demigods, praetor of the First Legion." He held out his arms, showing the tattoo of the eagle and SPQR, which Porphyrion seemed to recognize.

I smirked when the giant looked uneasy.

"I slew the Trojan sea monster," Jason continued. "I toppled the black throne of Kronos, and destroyed the Titan Krios with my own hands. And now, Lydia and I are going to destroy you, Porphyrion, and feed you to your own wolves."

"Yes!" I said, unable to contain a smile.

Jason had his memories back.

"Wow, dude," Leo muttered. "You been eating red meat?"

Jason and I grinned at each other, and launched ourselves at the giant.

I jumped straight to the giant's knee and climbed up his arm— knowing Jason had willed the wind to lift us both up.

"You dare?" The giant bellowed.

"We do," I said sweetly as I stabbed the back of Porphyrion's neck. He growled, and Jason yelled "FOR ROME!" Before driving his sword through Porphyrion's ear.

Lightning streaked out of the sky and blasted the sword, throwing Jason and I free. I rolled when I hit the ground, and got up immediately, my legs shaky from the lightning blast Jason had caused. When I looked at the giant, he was staggering. His hair was on fire, and the side of his face was blackened from lightning. The sword had splintered in his ear. Golden ichor ran down his jaw and his back, where I had cut his neck. The other weapons were sparking and smoldering in his braids.

Porphyrion almost fell. The circle of monsters let out a collective growl and moved forward— wolves and ogres fixing their eyes on Jason and I.

"No!" Porphyrion yelled. He regained his balance and glared at us. "I will kill them myself."

The giant raised his spear and it began to glow. "You want to play with lightning, boy? You forget. I am the bane of Zeus. I was created to destroy your father, which means I know exactly what will kill YOU."

He raised his spear, pointing it not at Jason, but at me. "As soon as I kill her, I'll make sure you feel her pain!"

I stared, wide eyed, at the giant, my whole body shaking as I saw the spear begin to descend on me.

There was no way I could dodge it or deflect it.

This was the end.

"GOT IT!" Leo yelled.

"SLEEP!" Piper yelled so forcefully, the nearest wolves fell to the ground and began snoring.

At the last moment, Lit threw his arms down with all his might.

The stone and wood cage crumbled. Leo had sawed through the base of the thickest tendril and apparently cut off the cages connection to Gaea. The tendrils turn to dust. The mud around Hera disintegrated. The goddess grew in size, glowing with power.

"Yes!" The goddess said. She threw off her black robes to reveal a white gown, her arms bedecked with golden jewelry. Her face was both terrible and beautiful, and a golden crown glowed in her long black hair. "Now I shall have my revenge!"

The giant Porphyrion backed away. He said nothing, but he gave Jason and I one last look of hatred. His message was clear: another time. Then he slammed his spear against the earth, and the giant disappeared into the ground like he'd dropped down a chute.

Around the courtyard, monsters began to panic and retreat, but there was no escape for them.

Hera glowed brighter. She shouted, "Cover your eyes, my heroes."

But Jason and I were frozen in shock. All too late we heard what she'd said.

I watched as Hera turned into a supernova, exploding in a ring of force that vaporized every monster instantly.

I felt my body crumple to the ground, light searing into my mind, and the last thought I had was that my body was burning, and that I was really dumb.


	45. We Learn The Next Step

There was a moment where I could literally see Charon and his ferry again, just as I had seen it four and a half years ago when Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and I went on our first quest.

Next thing I knew I woke with a start, and was being pulled into a bone crushing hug by Lit.

"What the—" I choked as he let me go. "What— what happened?"

"Impossible!" Hera said.

Piper pulled me and Jason— who had been laying beside me— into a hug. "Ouch," I whined. "You people forget my bones aren't any stronger than yours."

"Sorry," Piper and Lit said in unison. I could tell they'd both been crying.

"How do you guys feel?" Thalia asked.

"Very hot," I said, breathing heavily. "Mouth— dry. I just remember seeing something terrible then I saw Charon and now— here."

"That terrible thing was Hera," Thalia grumbled. "Her Majesty, the Loose Cannon."

"That's it, Thalia Grace," Hera snapped. "I will turn you into an aardvark, so help me—"

"Stop if, you two," Piper said. Amazingly, they both shut up.

Lit pulled me gently to my feet and popped some ambrosia in my mouth. "You're sure you're okay?"

"Mhm," I said between mouthfuls, tasting snickerdoodle cookies. "Mm— you got the good stuff."

Lit smiled, and quickly wiped his eyes.

"I saw that. You cried for me."

"Well obviously!" He said, not bothering to hide it anymore. "I thought you were dead."

"Nah it's too hard to kill me."

"Now," Piper said loudly, facing Thalia and Hera. "Hera— Your Majesty— we couldn't have rescued you without the Hunters. And Thalia, you never would've seen Jason again— I wouldn't have met him— if it weren't for Hera. You two make nice, because we've got bigger problems."

They both glared at her, and for three long seconds, I wasn't sure which one of them was going to kill Piper first.

Finally Thalia grunted. "You've got spirit, Piper. She pulled a silver card from her parka and tucked into the pocket of Piper's snowboarding jacket. "You ever want to be a Hunter, call me. We could use you."

Hera crossed her arms. "Fortunately for this Hunter, you have a point, daughter of Aphrodite." She assessed Piper, as if seeing her clearly for the first time. "You wonder, Piper, why I chose you for this quest, why I didn't reveal your secret in the beginning, even when I knew Enceladus was using you. I must admit, until this moment I was not sure. Something told me you would be vital to the quest. Now I see I was right. You're even stronger than I realized. And you are correct about the dangers to come. We must work together."

"Yeah," Leo said, "I don't suppose that Porphyrion guy just melted and died, huh?"

"No," Hera agreed. "By saving me, and saving this place, you prevented Gaea from waking. You have bought us some time. But Porphyrion has risen. He simply knew better than to stay here, especially since he has not yet regain his full power. Giants can only be killed by a combination of god and demigod, working together. Once you freed me—"

"He ran away," Jason said. "But to where?"

I had a feeling he'd gone to Greece to lay low.

"We need to get Annabeth informed," Thalia said, looking at me. "I'll find her. She has to know what's happened here."

"Thalia..." Jason gripped her hand. "We never got to talk about this place, or—"

"I know." Her expression softened. "I lost you here once. I don't want to leave you again. But we'll meet soon. I'll rendezvous with you back at Camp Half Blood." She glanced at Hera. "You'll see them there safely? It's the least you can do."

"It's not your place to tell me—"

"Queen Hera," Piper interceded.

The goddess sighed. "Fine. Yes. Just off with you, Hunter!"

Thalia give Jason and I a hug and said her goodbyes. When the Hunters were gone, the courtyard seems strangely quiet. The dry reflecting pool showed no signs of the earthen tendrils that I had brought back the giant king or imprisoned Hera. The night sky was clear and starry.

"Jason, what happened to you here?" Piper asked. "I mean— I know your mom abandoned you here. But you said it was sacred ground for demigods. Why? What happened after you were on your own?"

Jason shook his head uneasily. "It's still murky. The wolves..."

"You were given a destiny," Hera said. "You were given into my service."

At that, Jason scowled. "Because you forced my mother to do it. You simply couldn't stand knowing Zeus had two children with my mom. Knowing that he'd fallen for her twice. I was the price you demanded for leaving the rest of my family alone."

"It was the right choice for you as well, Jason," Hera insisted. "The second time your mother manage to snare Zeus's affections, it was because she imagined him in a different aspect— the aspect of Jupiter. Never before had this happened— two children, Greek and Roman, born into the same family. You had to be separated from Thalia. This is where all demigods of your kind start their journey."

"Of his kind?" Piper asked.

"She means Roman," I said. "I wasn't sure before but I am now. The demigods are left here to meet Lupa— the immortal wolf that raised Romulus and Remus. If they're strong enough, they live, and they go to what I'm assuming is a Roman version of Camp Half Blood."

"Exactly," Hera said, her eyes twinkling.

Jason turned to the goddess. "The memories are coming back but not the location. You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"No," Hera said. "That is part of your destiny, Jason. You must find your own way back. But when you do... you will unite two great powers. You will give us hope against the giants, and more importantly— against Gaea herself."

"You want us to help you," Jason said, "but you're holding back information."

"Giving you answers would make them invalid. That is the way of the Fates. Why do you think Lydia has not been able to tell you all her suspicions from the start? You must forge your own path for it to mean anything. Already, you three— well, five— have surprised me. I would not have thought it possible..."

The goddess shook her head. "Suffice to say, you have performed well, demigods. But this is only the beginning. Now you must return to Camp Half Blood, where you will begin planning for the next phase."

"Which you won't tell us about," Jason grumped. "And I suppose you destroyed my nice storm spirit horse so we'll have to walk home?"

Hera waved aside the question. "Storm spirits are creatures of chaos. I did not destroy that one, though I have no idea where he went, or whether you'll see him again. But there is an easier way home for you. As you have done me a great service, so I can help you— at least this once. Farewell, demigods, for now."

Next thing I knew, I was back at camp, and the dining pavilion, in the middle of dinner.

We were standing on the Aphrodite cabin's table, and Piper had one foot in Drew's pizza. My own foot had knocked her drink into her lap.

Sixty campers rose all at once, gawking at us in astonishment. Piper swayed on the spot. Leo jumped off the table, ran to the nearest bronze brazier, and threw up in it— which was probably not a great burnt offering for the gods.

"Lydia?" Chiron trotted forward. "Jason?" No doubt the old center had seen thousands of years worth of weird stuff, but even he looked totally flabbergasted. "What— how—?"

I awkwardly waved. "Hi. We're back. Courtesy of Hera."

Honestly, I don't really remember the rest of the night. We told our story, answered a million questions (including some about Lit and why he was with us) and eventually we were put to bed by Chiron.

"He seemed shocked to see me," Lit noted as I walked him to the Demeter cabin. "I don't think he ever thought he'd see me again."

"You guys had met before?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.

"He taught me how to sword fight. Then I made some bad friends, started doing corn husking competitions to kill people, doing nightly duels, and well— I never saw him after that 'cause I died."

"Oh," I said, wincing.

"It's okay though, really. Surprisingly I went to Asphodel, not Punishment. My father convinced King Minos to vouch for me, of course."

"Ah, good ol' Minos," I grumbled, recalling the deranged ghost from the Labyrinth.

"He's not the best," Lit agreed.

We reached the cabin door and I awkwardly clasped my hands together. "Well er— your sisters mentioned earlier that they were going to be setting you up a bunk closest to your little brother— and he sleeps in the corner by the window, so I assume you'll have the top bunk."

"Oh, I assumed Adrian— that was his name right? Well I assumed he would want the top."

"Nah. He glued some nature pictures on the boards under the top's mattress because Katie said he couldn't glue them on the ceiling. And well, he moves a lot in his sleep, so he could fall off."

"Ah," Lit said, nodding. He had an excited smile on his face. "Do you think— I could ever go back and get my sister from my dad's? I think she'd love to be here. She's fifteen, so she'd fit perfectly with the girls."

I beamed. "Of course! I'll even go back and get her with you. I'm assuming she's having a grand time there without him."

"Yeah, she was always self sufficient—" He stopped suddenly, looking at the window. He smiled sheepishly and I turned to it, seeing his siblings were watching us intently.

"I'll let you go in," I said, feeling a blush creep on my cheeks.

"Well— er— uh— I know where the cabin is now that you showed me so I can... I can walk you to your cabin."

"It's two cabins away, Lit," I said with a small laugh, my fingers twitching.

"It's dark," he blurted. "And from what I can tell after meeting Travis and Connor, they uh— well the Hermes cabin might be subject to payback pranks. Wouldn't want you to get hurt."

His siblings whooped from inside, and I covered my face. "If— if you want."

He grinned, and took my hands away from my face, grasping one tightly to lead me to my cabin.

My own siblings peeked out the window as I stood on the doorstep.

"Well— goodnight," Lit said, looking at me.

"Good night," I repeated, still feeling my cheeks burning.

"Sleep well," he added. "Don't um... let the bedbugs bite."

"Y-You too." I awkwardly reached my hand out for him to shake, and he surprised me by taking it and kissing it.

After that my stupid ass practically tripped into my cabin, and I had to deal with my siblings full scale interrogating me about him until they all got so tired they fell asleep.

____________

The next day was a good day.

Do you want to know why?

Of course you do. First and foremost, I found out at breakfast that Piper had challenged Drew, and was now the new senior counselor of the Aphrodite cabin. I was very proud when I heard.

Secondly, Leo had decided to tell everyone about Bunker Nine.

The group consisting of his siblings and those of us who were on the quest went to tour the facility. Everything was just as Leo and I had left it— giant machines, work tables, old maps, and schematics. Only one thing had changed. Festus's head was sitting on the central table, still battered and scorched from his final crash in Omaha.

"The head is going to be reused," Leo said as he stroked the dragon's forehead. "Festus will be going on the next mission with us."

Piper frowned. "What do you mean?l

Before Leo could answer, Nyssa cried out, "Guys, look at this!"

She was standing at one of the work tables, flipping through a sketchbook— diagrams for hundreds of different machines and weapons.

"I've never seen anything like these," Nyssa said. "There are more amazing ideas here than in Daedalus's workshop. It would take a century just a prototype them all."

"Who built this place?" Jake Mason said. "And why?"

"It's a wartime command center," Leo said. "The camp was attacked once, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," I said, pointing at a map on the wall. "1864– Chiron taught Annabeth and I about it. This is from the last Civil War."

"Civil War..." Piper said. "You mean the American Civil War, like a hundred and fifty years ago?"

"Yes and no," Chiron said. "The two conflicts— mortal and demigod— mirrored each other, as they usually do in Western history. Look at any Civil War or revolution from the fall of Rome onward, and it marks the time when demigods also fought one another. But that Civil War was particularly horrible. For American mortals, it is still their bloodiest conflict of all time— worse than the casualties in the two World Wars. For demigods, it was equally devastating. Even back then, this valley was Camp Half Blood. There was a horrible battle these woods lasting for days, with terrible losses on both sides."

"Both sides," Leo said. "You mean the camp split apart?"

"No," I said. "Camp Half Blood was one side. I'm sure the Roman camp was the other."

Chiron nodded grimly. "The answer is dangerous. It is something I swore upon the River Styx never to speak of. After the American Civil War, the gods were so horrified by the toll it took on their children, that they swore it would never happen again. The two groups were separated. The gods bent all their will, wove the Mist as tightly as they could, to make sure the enemies never remembered each other, never met on their quests, so that blood shed could be avoided. This map is from the final dark days of 1864, the last time the two groups fought. We've had several close calls since then. The 1960s were particularly dicey. But we've managed to avoid another Civil War at least so far. Just as Leo guessed, this bunker was a command center for the hit Hephaestus cabin. In the last century, it has been re-opened a few times, usually as a hiding place in times of great unrest. But coming here is dangerous. It stores old memories, awakens the old feuds. Even when the Titans threatened last year, I did not think it worth the risk to use his place."

"Hey, look, this place found me," Leo said. "It appeared to Lydia and I. It was meant to happen. It's a good thing."

"I hope you're right," Chiron said.

"I am!" Leo pulled out the old crayon drawing of a ship. "I drew it when I was five. That's my destiny." He pointer at a blueprint of a ship that looked just like what he'd drawn.

"That's impossible," Nyssa said. "That blueprint has to be a century old at least."

"Prophecy— Unclear— Flight," Jake Mason read from the notes on the blueprint. "It's a diagram for a flying ship. Look, that's the landing gear. And weaponry: rotating ballista, mounted crossbows, Celestial bronze plating. That thing would be one spankin' hot war machine. Was it ever made?"

"Not yet," Leo said. "Look at the masthead."

Festus. Exactly like Festus.

"Festus is meant to be our masthead," Leo said. "Our good luck charm, our eyes at sea. I'm supposed to build this ship. I'm gonna call it the Argo II. And guys, I'll need your help."

"We need to build this as soon as possible, then," I said, crossing my arms and examining the blueprint. "It has to be ready soon, before our next journey."

"What journey?" Nyssa said. "You just got back!"

"I know in my heart that Jason, Piper, and Leo, and maybe even me, are part of the Prophecy of the Eight," I said. "We have to confront Porphyrion— in the giant's homeland. We have to stop them before they can wake Gaea fully, before they destroy Mount Olympus."

"Um..." Nyssa shifted. "You don't mean Manhattan, do you?"

"No," Leo said. "The original Mount Olympus. We have to sail to Greece."

It took a few minutes for that to settle in. Then the other Hephaestus camper started asking questions all at once.

"Heroes!" Chiron struck his hoof on the floor. "All the details are not clear yet, but Leo is correct. He will need your help to build the Argo II. It is perhaps the greatest project Cabin Nine has ever undertaken, even greater than the bronze dragon."

"It'll take a year at least," Nyssa guessed. "Do we have that much time?"

"You have six months at the most," Chiron said. "You should sail by summer solstice, when the gods' power is strongest. Besides, we evidently cannot trust the wind gods, and the summer ones are the least powerful and easiest to navigate. You dare not sail any later, or you may be too late to stop the giants. You must avoid ground travel, using only air and sea, so this vehicle is perfect. Jason being the son of the sky god..."

He trailed off.

"And Percy, when we find him, will be useful on sea," I said confidently.

Jake Mason looked at Leo. "Well one thing's for sure. You are now senior counselor. This is the biggest honor the cabin has ever had. Anyone object?"

No one did.

"It's official then," Jake said. "You're the man."

Leo grinned ear to ear. "Well, if you guys elect me leader, you must be even crazier than I am. So let's build a spankin' hot war machine!"

_______________

When Annabeth and Rachel returned the next day, Chiron called a war council.

Sitting around me were Clarisse, Clovis, Butch, my Stoll brothers, Will Solace, Pollux (who I'd transported in from UPenn), Lou Ellen from Hecate, Piper, Leo, Jason, and to my surprise, Lit, who Miranda and Katie (who'd come for break from Brooklyn) had appointed senior counselor as well since they both disliked the meetings.

"Let's come to order," Chiron said.

He had us all tell our story again, but this time for Annabeth and Rachel to hear in full detail.

Although Annabeth was clearly focused on it, I couldn't help but notice her stealing a glance at Lit and I every few minutes.

"So Hera was here," Annabeth said. "Talking to you."

Jason nodded. "Look, I'm not saying I trust her—"

"That's smart," Annabeth said.

"—but she isn't making this up about another group of demigods. That's where I came from."

"And the gods have worked to keep us all apart because every time we see each other, we try to kill each other," I said.

"I can respect that," Clarisse said. "Still, why haven't we ever run across each other on quests?"

"Oh, yes," Chiron said sadly. "You have, many times. It is always a tragedy, and always the gods do their best to wipe clean the memories of those involved. The rivalry goes all the way back to the Trojan War, Clarisse. The Greeks invaded Troy and burned it to the ground. The Trojan hero Aeneas escaped, and eventually made his way to Italy, where he founded the race that would someday become Rome. The Romans grew more and more powerful, worshipping the same gods but under different names, and with slightly different personalities."

"More warlike," Jason said. "More united. More about expansion, conquest, and discipline."

"And the Romans hated the Greeks," Annabeth added. "They took revenge when they conquered the Greek isles, and made them part of the Roman Empire."

"Not exactly hated them," Jason said. "The Romans admired Greek culture, and were a little jealous. In return, the Greeks thought the Romans were barbarians, but they respected their military power. So during Roman times, demigods started to divide— either Greek or Roman."

"And it's been that way ever since," Annabeth guessed. "And you say the Romans destroyed the fortress on Mount Othrys."

"Yes," Jason said. "We destroyed the palace. I defeated the Titan Krios myself."

Annabeth's eyes were as stormy as ventus. "Lydia, your theory of the Roman camp being in the Bay Area must be right. We demigods were always told to stay away from it because of monsters and whatnot. That means the Roman camp IS near San Francisco."

"Exactly," I said. "We will find it— eventually. I would expect the camp to be heavily veiled with magic— and probably heavily guarded."

Rachel laced her fingers. "Okay. So you'll build Leo's boat, the Argo II. And before you make for Greece, you'll sail for the Roman camp. You'll need their help to confront the giants."

"Bad plan," Clarisse warned. "If those Romans see a warship coming, they'll assume we're attacking."

"Yes, but we can send a message," I said. "Beforehand, that is."

"Definitely," Jason agreed. "I was sent here to learn about Camp Half Blood— to try and convince you the two camps don't have to be enemies. A peace offering."

"Hmm," Rachel said. "Because Hera is convinced we need both camps to win the war with the giants. Eight heroes of Olympus some Greek, some Roman."

Annabeth nodded. "Your Great Prophecy mentions foes bearing arms to the Doors of Death. Gaea has opened them. She's letting out the worst villains in the Underworld to fight us. Medea, Midas—"

She faltered, and looked at Lit, who shrugged indifferently.

"Anyways there will be more, I'm sure," Annabeth continued. "Maybe the line means that the Roman and Greek demigods will unite, and find the doors, and close them."

"Or it cool mean they fight each other at the doors of death," Clarisse pointed out. "It doesn't say we'll cooperate."

"Thank you for that, Clarisse," I grumbled. "Anyway— it's settled. I'm pretty sure it's us four, Annabeth, and probably Lit—"

"Definitely Lit," Lit said. "I'm not letting you guys go without me, even if I'm not part of the prophecy."

"The rest will likely be from the other camp," Jason said. "Hera said my coming here was an exchange of leaders— a way for the two camps to learn of each other's existence."

He breathed deeply. "An exchange goes two ways. When I got here, my memory was wiped. I didn't know who I was or where I belonged. Fortunately, you guys took me in and I found a new home. I know you're not my enemy. The Roman camp— they're not so friendly. You prove your worth quickly, or you don't survive. They may not be so nice to him, and if they learn where he comes from, he's going to be in serious trouble."

"Him?" Leo said. "Are you talking about Percy"

"Yes," I said grimly. "That has to be it. He disappeared around the same time that Jason appeared. If Jason came here—"

"Exactly," Jason agreed. "Percy Jackson is at the other camp, and he probably doesn't even remember who he is."


	46. Lit Sweeps Me Off My Feet

**Lydia Castellan's POV**

_Spring 2010_

I know what you're going to say.

" _Lydia, you didn't tell us squat about your date!"_

Geez, first of all, don't get your panties in a twist.

Second, what do you think I'm here for?

Silly beans.

I think you'll understand why I chose not to give you all the details in the moment.

'Cause I was actually enjoying everything!

So now, let me take you back.   
  


Christmas Eve rolled around like two days after we had that meeting and let me just say I was nervous.

Lit had not mentioned anything. Literally nothing. We'd spent the past two days working in the sword arena. I was having him shadow my classes so he'd be able to help me teach.

I remembered it always worked smoother when both Luke and I ran the classes.

Percy and I had been doing it for awhile, but after he disappeared, it obviously went down the drain.

Now I had Lit though, and it got me excited all over again.

The thing is— he said nothing about our date. You know how he'd been constantly mentioning it before?

He suddenly stopped, and I honest to the gods thought he'd decided perhaps he might hold off on it.

When I woke up on Christmas Eve, everything was normal.

I had my breakfast at the Hermes table. I could see Lit was telling Miranda, Katie, and Zoe, who we'd retrieved from Omaha, some interesting story of what I'm guessing is a sort of experience he had.

Not once did he look at me.

Okay let me pause for a second.

Yes Lit's made me a little attention hog now and I HATE IT. I never used to be like this— needing someone to notice me or say anything.

But now all I think about is getting him to notice me. I wanted to make eye contact with him. I wanted him to smile at me. I wanted him to talk to me. Hell, I wanted him to flirt with me and compliment me and leave me crazy with desire because the guy simply wouldn't kiss me.

Lit, for Christ sakes— LOOK AT ME!

Yet he didn't turn around because obviously, I said that in my head.

Dam it.

I didn't have a sword fighting class after that because everyone was either gone or going back home with their mortal parent(s) for the day. The Stolls had gone to see their mother. Chris and Clarisse had gone with their mothers on vacation to Cancun, where it was warmer.

Even Annabeth had decided she would briefly visit her father, rather than go with me to visit Sally Jackson. She was in so much pain, she could hardly look at Percy's mom without breaking down. 

So all I was left to look forward to was Lit, and this date who honestly didn't seem ready to happen.

At about midday I got tired of waiting for Lit to show up. I still had time to go into the city to visit Sally, so I went to my cabin to change.

When I walked out, Lit was at the door.

"Hey," he said, a big smile on his face.

I was so annoyed I didn't smile.

Jeez, I really was pissed off he'd ignored me all day.

See what you did to me, Lit? Jesus Christ.

"Hi," I said a bit stiffly, brushing past him.

"Where are you going?"

"None of your business."

"It is my business when we're supposed to be spending the day together."

I scoffed. "Says the one who hasn't even looked at me all day."

This seemed to amuse him, and he smirked, coming closer. "Are you mad at me, Lydia?"

"I'm not mad," I said very unconvincingly.

"You're ticked off, then."

"No I'm not," I said, irritated he wouldn't drop the subject.

"You are. I can see it all over that pretty face of yours."

My cheeks turned scarlet, and my heart fluttered.

He seemed to know he'd won. "Wherever you're going, can I go too?"

"I'm visiting Sally Jackson. So yeah, I guess."

We took a taxi all the way to Sally's apartment. I didn't talk to Lit the whole way, but I could feel him staring at me the entire time.

"Lydia!" She cried when she opened the door. "You came oh... I thought you might not come— Annabeth called and said she was visiting Frederick in California and—"

She stopped, looking at Lit. A motherly smile grew on her face. "Oh, who's this?"

"Lityerses, ma'am," he said, smiling and shaking her hand.

"Nonsense, come here." She pulled him into a hug, which startled him. "Paul honey— please make an extra omelette, Lydia brought a friend. I'm Sally Jackson."

"Nice to meet you," he said, his cheeks pink.

"Lydia, I didn't know you had a boyfriend," Sally said, raising her eyebrows.

I struggled to form words. "H-He's not— we're not—"

"What Lydia is trying to say," Lit cut in, "is that I haven't asked her yet. But I will, don't worry."

My jaw probably dropped so far down it reached Antartica.

Sally let out a small giggle and patted his arm. "That's sweet of you! Come in, come in."

Needless to say, Paul and Lit talked the ENTIRE time, holy crap— I didn't even know two people could stand to listen to each other for so fucking long.

Once Paul found out who Lit really was, he started bombarding him with questions.

Eventually I was able to bring the conversation back to a serious topic.

I told Sally and Paul (with some mild input from Lit) about our recent quest, and what our next journey would be. I told them my theories of what had happened to Percy, and assured them that I was nearly certain he was completely fine— just without memories and somewhere in California.

Sally's eyes welled up with tears of relief. "Oh my poor baby... I thought he..."

"No, he's most definitely okay. He might've had a tough time at first— that's if he's reached the camp already— but I think he'll be just fine. He's resourceful. Hera wouldn't have sent him there if she wasn't certain he'd make it through."

Sally nodded. "And the other boy you mentioned— Jason— I just can't believe it. Thalia has a brother."

"We were in shock too. Jason, I'd say, is the Percy of that camp. I believe that's why Hera made the switch."

"I see," Sally said, taking a slow sip of her coffee. "Thank you... for telling me this. That alleviated a lot of my worry."

Paul rubbed her shoulder, and I took her hand.

"We're going to get him back to you," I said. "I swear on the River Styx. I can't say how long it will take because I don't know, but he will be back here, in your arms. I'll do anything I have to to make sure it happens."

Sally smiled, rubbing the back of my hand. "Thank you for coming, Lydia." She wiped her eyes. "How's your mother?"

I winced. "I uh... I think she's okay."

"When's the last time you saw her?"

"September."

"Go visit her," Sally said. "She'll be glad to see you're back from your quest."

I felt a sense of guilt. I hadn't even thought about visiting my mother.

"O-Okay," I said, slowly getting up. "I will. Thank you for the food, Sally, Paul."

"Anytime," Paul said. He shook Lit's hand firmly. "You take care of her now, okay? This girl is like a daughter to me, so even if you're a fancy swordfighter I WILL kick your ass if you hurt her."

I blushed, and Sally laughed as Lit's face became considerably uneasy.

"Don't worry, sir," he said immediately. "I would never hurt her."

"Of course not, you seem like a good person," Sally said, hugging him. "Take care you two! Hope to see you again soon."

When we walked out of the apartment, I looked at Lit, who smirked down at me.

"What?" He said, raising an eyebrow. "You aren't seriously still mad, are you?"

"I-I'm not mad!" I insisted, my face turning redder by the second. "I just— I—"

"You just what?"

"You ignored me earlier."

His smirk grew. "Oh, that's what this is about. Sorry, love, I couldn't risk giving away the surprise."

"Surprise?"

"I'll show you after we visit your mom."

"Y-You're willing to go?"

"Of course. I want to meet her."

I winced as I took his hand. Seconds later we appeared at the door of the nursing home.

"Look, I don't know if she's even going to remember me, okay?" I said softly as I went in and signed in. The nurse smiled to me, and handed me my usual square with a golden star sticker.

"Okay," Lit said.

The nurse led us to her room and knocked. "May? You awake?"

"Yes," came a voice inside.

"Lydia's here to visit."

There was a pause.

"Lydia. My daughter?"

"Yes."

The door opened and my mother stood there. She looked considerably healthier— not as thin, her face less pale. "Lydia!"

She pulled me into a surprisingly firm hug.

"I'll leave you to it," the nurse said.

My mother urged us in, and had us sit at her small coffee table.

"How are you, mom?" I asked.

"Good!" She said. "I'm good."

I handed her her sticker and she clapped.

"I get the sticker?" She asked.

"Yes, mom," I said gently. "Because you opened the door, remember?"

She nodded and took the sticker, then paused. "Who are you?"

"Lydia, mom. Your daughter."

"That's right. Lydia."

She seemed to notice Lit for the first time. "Who are you?"

He held his hand out for her to shake. "I'm Lityerses."

"Lityerses. Do I know you?"

"No, ma'am, pleased to meet you though."

She smiled and shook his hand.

I looked around the room, seeing several small paintings had been hung up on the walls. It was either some form of abstract art or just my mom being unable to make it look like anything recognizable.

"You've still been painting, haven't you?" I asked.

"Yes. Everyday."

"Good," I said, patting her arm.

But she wasn't paying attention to me. She was looking at Lit.

He seemed to be a bit confused why she was looking at him.

"He's nice looking," my mom mused, looking sideways at me.

I felt my heart jump into my throat. "H-He is, yeah."

"He reminds me of Luke, with the scar."

My stomach flipped.

My mom remembered Luke.

"M-Mom?" I stammered, my hands shaking. "W-What did you say?"

She looked at me and blinked. "I don't know. Who are you?"

I choked back a sob. "I-It's Lydia, mom."

"Lydia. That's right. My daughter."

____________

I sprinted out of the nursing home and collapsed against a light pole, struggling to breathe.

"Lydia!" Lit said, rushing to me. "Lydia— are you okay?"

"She remembered Luke," I sobbed, my eyes shut tight, my trembling fingers grasping the pole forcefully. "She remembered him— for— for a bit—"

I was about to collapse, but Lit put his arms around me, hugging me to his chest.

Here I was, bawling like a baby, all because my mother had remembered my brother for a split second.

"Hey," Lit said soothingly, rubbing my back. "Hey— it's okay... you're okay..."

"I miss him," I cried, covering my face. "I-I miss him so damn much..."

"I do too," he said quietly, his hand trailing up my back to stroke my hair. "I do too..."

I don't know how long we stood there like that, but it was a pretty long time.

Eventually when I pulled away and dried my tears, I looked up at Lit. "S-Sorry— I must be ruining today for you."

"Are you kidding? I'm with you. That makes today amazing."

I blushed. "But I'm being all sentimental—"

"Which you have a right to be. I notice things, Lydia. You've been holding back that need to cry for awhile now. And you're all stressed about this new quest— which you have a right to be."

I smiled, tucking my hands in my pockets. "Thank you."

"Oh don't thank me yet. Come on— do me a favor and take us back to New York."

I raised an eyebrow, but took his hand.

When we landed in Central Park, he took out a blindfold. "Trust me on this, okay? I promise I won't let you get hit by a car."

"Okay," I said, allowing him to blindfold me.

I think perhaps he might've incorporated a secret workout into it because we walked forever.

But eventually we came to a stop, and Lit helped me sit down in what felt like a cushioned chair.

"Now you can look."

He took my blindfold off and I gasped.

I could tell we were on the rooftop of a building— though I didn't know which one it was. When I looked around, I saw we were about a block away from the Chrysler Building.

All around me were lights. Small golden bulbs hung in a beautiful pattern on the rails and overhead, creating a dimly light scene that I adored.

On the table in front of me was a whole Greek feast— that looked delicious. Two candles were lit in the center.

A few feet away from the table was a large mattress with some small pocket telescopes on them.

"I thought maybe after we finished eating, we could stargaze," Lit said sheepishly, blushing crimson. "See if we can spot Santa coming."

I opened my mouth but Lit cut me off.

"It's stupid, I know— you definitely don't believe in Santa at this point and this is really lame compared to what I wanted to do, but I couldn't get us on the roof of the Empire State and—"

"Lit," I said, looking into his eyes, "I love it."

His ears quickly turned red, and he sat across from me. "Y-You do?"

"Yes. I do."

He seemed to relax a whole lot more.

We took our time eating, talking in between about random topics Lit and I would come up with on the spot. For dessert Lit brought out an abnormally tall cheesecake.

"Wow that is gigantic," I whistled.

"It had to be extra tall to accommodate the filling. Took me forever to smoothen the top out."

He cut a slice and I gasped.

It was a slice of cheesecake, but inside was the perfect shape of a chocolate covered strawberry.

"You— you filled it with chocolate covered strawberries?" I whispered.

"Y-Yeah," he said sheepishly. "Do you like it?"

I dug my fork into it and tried it, then moaned. "Holy cow this is delicious. This is really, really good."

He blushed again, and served himself a slice.

Once I literally could not eat anymore, I crawled over to the mattress. Lit flicked a switch that shut the bulbs off, leaving us with a really beautiful view of the starry sky.

I lay back, bringing the telescope to my eye.

"You see that constellation right there?" I asked. "I was present when Artemis created. Those stars make a Huntress— an old friend of ours, Zoë."

"The girl you mentioned to Thalia and Phoebe at Pikes Peak."

"Yes. She was Artemis's lieutenant. Sister of the Hesperides."

"Oh, Zoë," he said knowingly. "Ladon liked her best. Yeah... I remember her. She was incredible. Heracles really ruined her. If he'd just left her out of it..."

I half smiled and put the telescope down, turning to him as he laid by my side, tugging a large quilt over and draping it over me.

"You don't have a quilt now," I said, raising my eyebrow. "You'll freeze."

He shrugged. "It's fine."

I scowled and draped the quilt over him, pressing my body closer to his.

He tensed, and I giggled. "Is this not bible distance apart?"

He couldn't even answer because of how flustered he was.

To add to it, I leaned my head on his shoulder, gazing up at the sky.

We stayed like that for a long time, just quietly watching the stars. At one point he'd grabbed my hand, and drew small circles over its back with his finger, humming quietly. Eventually his arm had wrapped around my body, and after awhile we'd ended up with our arms around each other, our faces inches away.

Just before I fell asleep, I kissed him on the cheek.

_______________

Christmas we spent at Camp with the few who stayed, distributing presents and having a big dinner in the pavilion.

At New Year's Eve, the camp was practically deserted. More people had gone home or stayed home, and the only ones that stayed were the Stolls, who where scheming up a massive prank for the next day when everyone returned, and Zoe, who had gotten a nasty fever the day before and been in bed all day.

I didn't do much that day except spend time with Lit and check up on Zoe.

"Thank you," Zoe wheezed as I administered more fluids and checked her temperature.

"It's no trouble," I said, smiling.

She took my hand. "I've seen a lot of things. A lot more than I probably should have at this age. But... it helped me become observant."

She drew a deep breath. "I have never, ever seen my brother look at someone the way he looks at you."

I found myself blushing, which I seem to be doing pretty often now. Jeez, had she passed her fever to me?

"I'm serious," she insisted. "He looks at you like you're a literal goddess. Every time you're in the room his gaze goes right to you. You may not notice it, but when you're teaching, all he does is watch you. And let me tell you, he's never been a sappy romantic guy. But the instant he told me his plan for that date you guys had on Christmas Eve? That is how I knew he was never ever going to be the same. You cracked his shell. You opened him up and made him the good person he's always been deep down."

"I-I don't know what to say," I replied stupidly.

Zoe laughed. "You can promise you won't hurt him."

"I swear I won't— you don't have to worry about that."

"Good," she said, patting my hand. "Now let me sleep. I just needed to tell you that..."

When the night came, we sat with the Stolls and had a very late dinner.

"Are you going to stay up for the countdown?" Travis asked as we picked up our plates.

"Yeah, I guess so. It's already eleven thirty, we can stay up."

"You can stay up. We're exhausted."

"Obviously, you've been scribbling and whispering all day."

"Tell us if anything interesting happens," Connor chirped before dragging Travis away.

"Your brothers are awesome," Lit said.

"How did you come to that conclusion?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Oh, no reason."

"Please don't tell me you're helping them with their prank."

"Nah, I'm not about to get involved in that."

"Then what is it?"

"Well they didn't require me to do anything for them in return for them doing me a favor."

"Which was?"

"Leaving me alone with you."

I turned scarlet.

Even though Christmas Eve had been quite a few days ago, I still felt completely jittery from our date.

"Come with me," he said, taking my hand.

He led me down to the beach, where the waves were dark but calm, creating a soothing splashing sound.

Lit removed his shoes and I followed his lead.

I didn't know what he had in mind as he took me by the hand, leading me across the beach, our feet buried in sand.

When he stopped, I looked up at him.

"I like you, a lot," he said, standing directly in front of me and looking down. "I really, really do."

I knew even in the moonlight he could tell I was blushing.

"I like you a lot too," I said softly.

He pushed some hair out of my face. "Dance with me."

"Dance with you?" I repeated. "There's no music."

"Does there need to be music?"

He had a point. I put my hands around his neck. He fastened his at my waist.

We moved slowly, listening to the crashing of the waves.

For a moment nothing else mattered.

We didn't remember that Gaea was trying to rise and kill everyone.

We didn't think about the long, dangerous journey to come.

We didn't stop to consider the fact that we might not make it back from our next quest alive.

All that mattered was that we were right there, in each other's arms.

I lay my head on his chest, listening to his heart. His hands crept up my back, tracing circles all over as he hugged me so close I swear we morphed into one person.

There was a beeping, and he flinched.

"Crap— my watch," he said. "A um— minute til twelve."

"You want to do a countdown?" I asked with a small giggle as I pulled away slightly.

"We can. I've never done it before, though."

"It's okay. It's not too hard."

When the time came, I took his hand. "Okay, now we count. Five...."

"Four," he joined me. "Three. Two. One."

"Happy New Year," I whispered, cupping his face in my hands.

"What happens now?" He asked as fireworks from all around the state burst into the sky.

My stomach did a somersault.

"Now," I said, biting my lip. "We kiss."

He didn't seem to realize what I'd said until my lips pressed onto his.

It was soft, and I imagined for a minute that maybe he was afraid to kiss me harder.

I pulled away, looking into his eyes, my ankles about to roll as I struggled to tiptoe.

Lit was breathing heavily, his eyes staring into mine with so much emotion.

Then he suddenly picked me up, making me shriek and grab his shoulders, my legs wrapping around his waist.

"I'm not going to let you fall," he said, holding my thighs firmly. "So don't worry. But I couldn't have you collapsing when I kiss you this next time."

I felt my cheeks literally burn. "Oh?" I inquired. "Is it that type of kiss?"

"You tell me."

He crashed his lips on mine, and I swear I forgot how to breathe again.


	47. We Make A Bad First Impression

**Lydia Castellan's POV**

_Summer 2010_

Hey, long time no talk.

As you can probably tell from the date, it's been awhile since I last updated you.

A recap.

Lit and I spend the following semester after New Year's meeting up on the weekends and just doing our own homework together at his dorm, since he couldn't teleport.

On days off we met— sometimes surprising each other— and going out to do fun activities like roller skating or even zip lining— which is not something I recommend especially if you're like Lit, and are really impatient to the point where you won't let the person check if you're properly buckled in and almost die halfway down.

But if you're like him and can make the trees around you break your fall in such a nice way, then, well, you do you.

When April came, I attended Lit's graduation. He was top of his class— now with his degree in Agricultural Law. He didn't get a job in that field right away, because he knew we'd be needing to leave for our quest soon, so instead he came to Connecticut. We cleaned up my mother's house and I moved him in with me (though for your information, we slept in separate rooms. You sillies).

At the end of April, I had my prom. Lit asked me the day before because I hadn't mentioned it, so he didn't know it was happening. By then it was too late to get him a ticket and have him fill out the stupid outside guest form my school requires, so we didn't end up going.

Instead we sat at a pizza parlor for hours just talking and every now and then (depending on the song) entertaining the other customers by dancing.

That, in my opinion, was the best Senior Prom.

At the beginning of May, I graduated from high school as the valedictorian, and gave a pretty spanking good speech if I do say so myself. For now all I have left to do is complete this quest so I can attend Stanford in the fall.

Did I mention Lit wants to move to California with me when the time comes? Yeah.

We got back to Camp right after, taking our places as senior counselors again.

We spent most mornings teaching sword techniques, and after lunch we'd head to Bunker Nine to work on the Argo II, just to help the Hephaestus kids add the finishing touches.

Can I add in how attractive Lit looks when he's shirtless and helping Leo attach a bunch of different things to the ship?

Like holy crap. His back muscles— and don't even get me started on his abs, the guy is super muscular. Remember how he picked up Piper's dad without a problem even when it took Leo and Jason combined effort to even slightly lift him?

He's strong. Almost every time we snag some alone time, his favorite thing to do is pick me up and press me against the wall and kiss me until I can't even feel my mouth.

I forgot to mention— he officially asked me to be his girlfriend when we hit date #10 in March.

Obviously I said yes.

I really, really like him.

I tell him as often as I can. Between kisses I make sure he knows just how much I care, and how much he means to me.

On June 3rd, the day Zoe decided would be his twenty second birthday (since he didn't know what day it actually was or how old he was really turning), he told me he loved me.

"You're so old," I said, wiping the cake off his face after Zoe had pushed him into it. "You can be the dancing queen plus five years."

Thankfully after this entire half year he'd learned what that was. He actually really enjoys ABBA.

No, I didn't use a PowerPoint, I just took him anywhere and everywhere to learn important stuff. I can't even begin to describe how much he loved the Queen LiveAid performance when we watched a taping of it.

"Okay, so I'm the dancing queen, kind of young and not so sweet, only twenty... two? It's work better if I was twenty three."

"You just turned twenty two," I laughed. "Don't get ahead of yourself."

"When you're in your twenties time just flies."

"Hey, just because I'm not twenty—"

"But you'll be nineteen in September and twenty a year after that. You're close, don't worry."

He pecked my cheek, and I got some frosting on it.

I shrugged and finished cleaning his face.

Honestly at this point, I hardly noticed all the scars he had on it.

What I noticed instead were his eyes. Dark, but in the light they had hints of green in them, just like his mother.

I noticed the small freckles he had over his nose and across his cheeks.

I noticed his nicely shaped nose and his firm lips, which, obviously, I love kissing.

He seemed to be looking at me too. His eyes scanned every bit of my face. He was smiling as he reached a hand out to brush a strand of hair away from my face.

"Lydia, I love you," he said quietly.

I felt my heart leap into my throat.

Those three words.

Again.  
  


" _If we win," I said softly, "we can be together. Safely. A-And you mentioned we'd have kids... and grandkids..."_

_Kronos scoffed furiously. "If children are what you want, Nakamura, you can have them! I will spare her! You will be save to have as many children as you want!"_

_I could hear the desperation in his voice to one-up me, and make his offer sound more enticing._

_"Ethan please," I whispered. I gulped, and closed my eyes. It was difficult for me to say, but I truly felt it in that moment. "I love you."_

_Ethan's good eye blinked._

_Then he charged... but not at Percy, and not at me._

_While Kronos was still on his knees, Ethan jumped forward and brought down his sword on the Titan lord's neck. It should have killed him instantly, but the blade shattered. Ethan fell back, grasping his stomach. A shard of his own blade head ricocheted and pierced his armor._

_Kronos rose unsteadily, towering over his servant. "Treason," he snarled._

_Grover's music kept playing, and grass grew around Ethan's body. He stared at me, his face tight with pain._

_"Deserve better," he groaned, wincing. "If they just had thrones..." he then smiled. "Y-You love me too..."_

_Kronos stomped his foot, and the floor ruptured around Ethan._

_I yelled and bolted forward, reaching my arm out in a desperate attempt to grab him as a fissure that went straight through the heart of the mountain and into open air appeared at his feet._

_His eyes were wide as his body fell, and his fingertips grazed mine._

_"NO!" I screamed, watching him go out of reach. "NO! ETHAN! NO— NO!"_   
  


My memories shifted.  
  


_"Luke," I breathed, touching his face. "I learned from the best. Without you... I'd know nothing...."_

_He smiled, and I let out another shaky breath._

_"I love you," I said softly. "I-I'm sorry... I never told you..."_

_He let go of my hand and instead pressed my other against his face. "I... love you.... too... little sis. You're not... Baby Castellan anymore, okay? You're... Big Castellan now... be big..."_

_His body went limp, his hand slack, and his eyes closed._

_Annabeth burst into tears and fell into Percy's chest._

_"Enjoy Elysium, Luke," I whispered, steady tears rolling down my cheeks. I couldn't hold them back anymore. "You can go... I'll be okay_."   
  


I wasn't anywhere near ready to say it again.

Twice in my life. I had only ever said those three words twice in my life.

Both times, the person died right before me.

I knew causation wasn't correlation. I knew they didn't die because I told them I loved them.

But the fact they happened at the same time both occasions was enough to traumatize me.

And I didn't think I'd recovered from it, even after a year.

I think I must've just stared at him for a good while because he raised his eyebrows.

That snapped me back to reality.

"I-I care a lot about you too," I said, swallowing hard.

I expected to see him frown.

I expected him to question me.

But he didn't. He just smiled and kissed me.

He understood. That's what I really really do love about him— he gets it. He knows just how difficult it is for me to say it back and he doesn't question it.

I just don't think I'm ready to say it.

I still haven't said it back.

But I know I will. One day.

___________

Today is July 25th.

At this moment, we're just about to reach the location of Camp Jupiter— I can feel the tingling in my brain.

Annabeth is pacing the deck near me. She seems to be having a really bad existential crisis but everytime I've tried to talk to her in the past minutes, she will ignore me.

Horns suddenly sounded in the valley below. The Romans had spotted us.

I looked down, and my breath hitched.

Jason had described Camp Jupiter in great detail. Still, I had trouble believing my eyes.

Ringed by the Oakland Hills, the valley had to have been twice the size of Camp Half-Blood. A small river snaked around one side and curled toward the center like a capital G, emptying into a sparkling blue lake.

Directly below us, nestled at the edge of the lake, the city of New Rome gleamed in the sunlight. There were temples and parks everywhere— followed by flowering gardens and colorful villas.

"That's pretty badass," Lit mumbled next to my ear.

I could see that some parts of the buildings were damaged— likely from the Romans' recent battle with an army of monsters. There were even craters in the ground.

Dozens of kids in togas were streaming out of the Senate House to get a better view of the Argo II. More Romans emerged from the shops and cafés, gawking and pointing as the ship descended.

About half a mile to the west, where the horns were blowing, a Roman fort stood on a hill. It looked just like the illustrations Annabeth used to show me from her history books when she we were little and she was trying to help me with my most difficult subject.

A column of demigods emerged from the gates, their armor and spears glinting as they hurried toward the city. In the midst of their ranks was an elephant.

"Aw, it's so cute," I sighed.

"Well lucky for you, you'll be getting to meet it soon," Lit said.

I nodded and looked over at Annabeth, who was staring intently at the ground several hundred feet below. I had the feeling she was looking for Percy.

There was a sudden explosion that almost knocked us over the railing.

Next thing I knew, a very angry statue was glaring at Annabeth.

"Unacceptable!" He shrieked.

He seemed to have just materialized here, kind of how it happens when I teleport. Sulfurous yellow smoke rolled off his shoulders. Cinders popped around his curly hair. From the waist down, he and was nothing but a square marble pedestal. From the waist up, he was a muscular human figure in a carved toga.

"I will not have weapons inside the Pomerian Line!" He announced in a fussy teacher voice. "I certainly will not have Greeks!"

"Terminus," Jason said as he stepped forward. "It's me— Jason Grace."

"Oh, I remember you, Jason!" Terminus grumbled. "I thought you had better sense than to consort with enemies of Rome!"

"But they're not enemies—"

"That's right," Piper jumped in. "We just want to talk. If we could—"

"Ha!" Snapped the statue. "Don't try that charmspeak on me, young lady! And put that dagger down before I slap it out of your hands!"

Piper glanced at her dagger. "Um... okay. But how would you slap it? You don't have any arms."

"Impertinence!" There was a sharp POP and a flash of yellow.

Piper yelped and dropped the dagger, which was now smoking and sparking.

"Lucky for you I've just been through a battle," Terminus announced. "If I were at full strength, I would've blasted this flying monstrosity out of the sky already!"

"Hold up." Leo stepped forward, wagging his Wii controller. "Did you just call my ship a monstrosity? I know you didn't do that."

Honestly I thought Leo might attack him.

"Hey," I said, holding my hands up in surrender. "Let's all just calm down."

"Right," Annabeth agreed. "I take it you're Terminus, the god of boundaries. Jason told me you protect the city of New Rome, right? I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of—"

"Oh I know who you are!" The statue glared at her with its blank white eyes. "A child of Athena, Minerva's Greek form. Scandalous! You Greeks have no sense of decency. We Romans know the proper place for that goddess."

Annabeth clenched her jaw. "What exactly do you mean, that goddess? And what's so scandalous about—"

"Right!" Jason interrupted. "Anyway, Terminus, we're here on a mission of peace. We'd love permission to land so we can—"

"Impossible!" The god squeaked. "Lay down your weapons and surrender! Leave my city immediately!"

"Which is it?" Leo asked. "Surrender or leave?"

"Both!" Terminus decided. "Surrender, then leave. I am slapping your face for asking such a stupid question, you ridiculous boy! Do you feel that."

"Hey," I snapped, this time stepping up to Terminus. "First of all, there are no stupid questions. Second of all, we're not going to attack you. We want to talk. We'll land, and we won't bring weapons— we promise. We know Weapons are not allowed on Roman soil inside the— what did you call it? Pomeranian Line?"

"Pomerian Line," Jason said. "City limits."

"I know what it means in Latin," I said in annoyance. Jeez a person can't mishear anything these days without everyone assuming they're stupid.

"You said it yourself, girl!" Terminus said. "This entire ship is a weapon! You cannot land!"

I cursed internally.

Down in the valley, the legion reinforcements were halfway to the city. The crowd in the forum was over a hundred strong now.

"Oh my gods," I cried, covering my mouth. "Annabeth— look..."

She snapped her head down and I heard her breath hitch.

Three figures stood out. The middle figure had his arms around two other kids like they were best buddies— a stout boy with a black buzz cut, and a girl wearing a Roman cavalry helmet.

Percy was the middleman.

He looked so at ease. So relaxed. So happy.

I was first and foremost glad I'd been right when I told Sally he was safe.

Secondly, I could see him wearing a purple cape. Annabeth and Jason had said that was the mark of a praetor.

Dam, don't tell anyone I said this— but Percy became praetor after clearly being there for less than six months? How long did it take Jason, only twelve years?

"Leo, stop the ship," Annabeth said immediately.

"What?"

"You heard me. Keep us right where we are."

Leo pulled out his controller and yanked it upward. All ninety oars froze in place. The ship stopped sinking.

"Terminus," Annabeth said, "there's no rule against hovering over New Rome, is there?"

The statue frowned. "Well, no..."

"We can keep the ship aloft," Annabeth said. "We'll use a rope ladder to reach the forum. That way, the ship won't be on Roman soil. Not technically."

The statue seemed to ponder this. "I like technicalities. Still—"

"All our weapons will stay aboard the ship," I said. "Promise. The Romans down there won't be able to have weapons inside the Pomerian Line, right? So we should be fine."

"Uh... Annabeth? Lydia?" Leo said. "You sure this is a good idea?"

I looked at Annabeth and we both nodded.

"It will be fine," Lit piped up. "No one down there will be armed. If we had to kill each other it'd be with our bare hands."

"I don't know if that's the thing to say, but yes," I said with a sheepish grin.

"Lit is right," Annabeth said. "We will just talk in peace. Terminus will make sure each side obeys the rules." She looked at the statue. "Do we have an agreement?"

Terminus sniffed. "I suppose. For now. You may climb down your ladder to New Rome, daughter of Athena. Please try not to destroy my town."

A sea of hastily assembled demigods parted for Annabeth and I as we led the others through the forum. Some looked tense, some nervous.

The good thing is no one attacked.

Entire families had gathered to see us. I could see couples with babies, toddlers clinging to their parents' legs, even some elderly folks in a combination of Roman robes and modern clothes.

"Are these all demigods?" Annabeth whispered.

"Maybe some legacies mixed in," I said back in amazement.

At the far end of the crowd, I spotted Tyson and Mrs O'Leary. Tyson wore an SPQR banner like a giant bib.

Mrs. O'Leary barked, and I grinned.

I didn't care I was being judged by all of New Rome.

"Is that my girl?" I squealed in a baby talk voice. "Is that my good, big, girl right there?"

Mrs. O'Leary barked and wagged her tail, spinning in a circle.

Some of the Romans gave me weird looks.

Annabeth's lips twitched but she didn't smile. She was too busy observing the architecture of this place— which I knew damn well she wad fascinated by.

It was truly beautiful. There were gilded marbled columns, dazzling mosaics, monumental arches, and terraced villas scattered around, but neatly, of course.

In front of us, the demigods made way for a girl in full Roman armor and a purple cape. Dark hair tumbled across her shoulders. Her eyes were black as obsidian.

Jason had described the praetor well. Medals decorated her armor. She carried herself with such confidence the other demigods averted their gaze.

She looked ready to accept any challenge. She was forcing a look of courage, but even I could tell she was holding back a mixture of hopefulness and worry and fear that she couldn't show in public.

I suddenly remembered her name.

"Reyna," I said, my jaw popping open.

The same girl from Circe's Island.

The same pretty girl that did my hair and I connected with.

Definitely my first crush.

She seemed to recognize me too.

"Lydia... Castellan," she said, looking like she was trying not to show emotion.

Percy came to stand beside her, and I breathed in relief. He still had that sarcastic, troublemaker smile that he shared with me whenever we had a mischievous plan. He honestly looked tanner and taller, which almost made me frown. He'd already been taller than me but now he'd never let me live it down.

Reyna finally looked away from me. "Jason Grace, my former colleague..." she spoke the word colleague like it was a dangerous thing. "I welcome you hime. And these, your friends—"

I flinched as Annabeth moved beside me.

Instantly, she and Percy sprinted towards each other, threw their around around the other, and kissed without caring that all of New Rome was watching.

When they pulled away I smiled, and put my hand on my chest.

Next thing I knew Annabeth judo flipped him, which really started the Romans.

"If you ever leave me again," she said, her eyes clearly watering. "I swear to all the gods—"

Percy laughed, and I sighed. Annabeth couldn't kill him now. "Consider me warned. I missed you too."

Annabeth helped him to his feet and Jason awkwardly stepped forward. "So yeah... it's good to be back."

He introduced us all to her.

"Yes, Lydia Castellan, I remember you," Reyna said as we shook hands. "I hope later we have some time to talk."

"Me too," I stuttered. Lit seemed to decide that was the perfect moment to jump in.

"And I'm Lityerses," he said, pushing me aside. "Her boyfriend."

Reyna's lips tugged into a small smirk. "I remember Lydia told me before that she would only ever get a boyfriend who was a sword fighter. I can see she kept her promise."

I turned red. Lit looked proud as he pulled me away.

"Jealous, much?" I inquired. "I don't have a crush on her anymore."

"Well I didn't know you had a crush on her to begin with, but I had a feeling I should make sure that badass Roman praetor girl didn't steal my girlfriend."

"She's almost three years younger than me and she's more amazing than I am. Your worries might be justified."

He raised an eyebrow, and was about to say something, when he was interrupted by Percy.

"Long time no see, Queen Castellan," he said.

I hugged him, sighing in relief as I rubbed his back. "Gods, I missed you, Jackson."

Percy pulled away and looked at Lit.

Lit was taller, but he still seemed to be a bit intimidated by Percy.

"Remember that Reaper of Men that gods would just keep mentioning to me?" I asked.

"The one Quintus— er, Daedalus— and Demeter... and Luke mentioned?"

"Yeah. This is him. Lityerses, Percy. Percy, Lityerses."

"Just Lit," he said, shaking Percy's hand.

Percy looked between us and smirked. "Damn, I disappear and you get a boyfriend? Didn't even give me the chance to threaten him."

"Oh don't worry, your dad— well, Paul— did," Lit said.

Percy's smile grew. "Good... good..."

"As soon as this is over you owe them a blue red velvet cake and a vacation," I said. "Okay?"

"Yes. Of course," Percy said. He shook Lit's hand again. "Hey. It's nice to meet you, man. I know you have to be a good guy if my sis let you be her first official boyfriend, so I'm glad you're on this quest with us."

"Yeah, no problem," Lit said, blushing.

Reyna suddenly clapped her hands. "Centurions!"

A few of the Roman campers hustled forward— probably the senior officers.

The two kids that'd been with Percy stepped forward.

The buzz cut kid— an Asian who was a lot taller than he'd looked from the ship— seemed to be about fifteen.

The girl was just a tad more intimidating, even though she looked thirteen. She had completely amber eyes and had chocolate skin and long curly hair. She was really pretty, but I could tell she was the Asian boy's girlfriend. Plus she's way younger, guys, that's weird.

They stood on either side of Percy like they'd already shared lots of adventures, which made me kind of jealous since in their places should have been Annabeth, Grover, and I. But no matter.

The amber eyed girl was staring at Leo like she'd seen a ghost— almost as if the memory associated with it was painful.

That was weird.

Meanwhile, Reyna was giving orders to her officers. "...tell the legion to stand down. Dakota, alert the spirits in the kitchen. Tell them to prepare a welcome feast. And, Octavian—"

"You're letting these intruders into the camp?" A tall guy with stringy blond hair elbowed his way forward. He looked sort of like a scrawnier, paler, and way crazier version of Luke— but without the scar. "Reyna, the security risks—"

"We're not taking them to the camp, Octavian." Reyna flashed him a stern look. "We'll eat here, in the forum."

"Oh, much better," Octavian grumbled. I noticed he didn't seem to like Reyna as his leader. "You want us to relax in the shadow of their warship."

"These are our guests. We will welcome them, and we will talk to them. As augur, you should burn an offering to thank the gods for bringing Jason back to us safely."

Octavian scowled. "Reyna, I think—"

"Excuse me?" I said, making Reyna look at me curiously. "Why don't you shut up, scarecrow? Don't fuc—fricking argue with her— just do what she said. I don't see how your opinion of this situation even matters when you've got a teddy bear on your belt."

Percy looked amused. "Good idea, Lydia. Go burn your bears, Octavian."

Reyna looked like she was trying not to smile. "You have my orders. Go."

The officers dispersed. Octavian shot Percy and I a look of absolute loathing. He then gave Annabeth a suspicious look before stalking away.

"Excellent," Reyna said, looking at me intently. She turned to Jason, and I swear I saw a sort of hungry gleam in her eyes. "Let's talk, and we can have a proper reunion."


	48. Octavian Is A Little Brat

I was really glad that I was actually hungry, because the food was so good I had to try a little bit of everything.

Let me just say, the Romans really know how to eat.

Sets of couches and low tables were carted into the forum until it resembled a furniture showroom— like the type you'd see at Living Spaces. Romans lounged in groups of ten or twenty, talking and laughing while wind spirits— aurae— swirled overhead, bringing an endless assortment of pizzas, sandwiches, chip, cold drinks, and fresh baked cookies.

At least these wind spirits were nice.

Drifting through the crowd were purple ghosts— the amber eyed girl (Hazel) said they were Lares— in togas and legionnaire armor. Around the edges of the feast, satyrs— well no, not satyrs, actually. Normally I would still call them satyrs but I didn't like these things.

Fauns. Annoying. Needy. They trotted from table to table, panhandling for food and spare change. Why were they acting like beggars under a freeway?? I didn't understand it.

It really only made me miss Grover.

In the nearby fields, the war elephant played and frolicked with Mrs. O'Leary, which made my heart just melt. Children played tag around the statues of Terminus that lined the city limits.

It was a beautiful sight and I felt bad for wishing I'd been a child of Mercury instead of Hermes. Same dude just some different qualities.

But then again my life would have been very different.

I might've never met Lit.

As I looked around the table, I could begin to sense the tension around. Annabeth and Percy clearly wanted to just be with each other, preferably alone no doubt, but they were being forced to stay here with Octavian (who must have just returned from burning a teddy bear for the gods), Reyna, who seemed really uneasy about something, and the new friends— Frank and Hazel.

I liked them. They were cool.

As a tornado of food platters settled onto the table, Lit leaned over and whispered, "should we like, say something? No one's talking."

It was true. All around at the other tables people were chatting like no tomorrow but at our particular table everything was tense.

Reyna suddenly stood up and we stopped eating.

Piper and Jason looked over at Leo, who was still eating happily, and nudged him.

Reyna called a toast to friendship, which I could tell Octavian's scarecrow ass didn't like. After the introductions all around, we began to exchange stories.

Jason explained how he'd arrived at Camp Half-Blood without his memory, and how he'd gone on a quest with Piper, Leo, and I— and eventually Lit— to rescue Hera from imprisonment at the Wolf House in northern California.

It was up to me to give more details of the battle with Enceladus and Porphyrion. Jason had just jumped in to make a thrilling conclusion when—

"That's impossible!" Octavian broke in. "The Wolf House is our most sacred place. If the giants had imprisoned a goddess there—"

"They would've destroyed her," Piper said. "And blamed it on the Greeks, and started a war between the camps. Now be quiet and let Jason finish."

Octavian opened his mouth but no sound came out. Gods, I loved Piper and her charmspeak.

I looked up at Reyna, whose lip twitched for a split second. She looked between Jason and Piper, as if only beginning to realize that they were a couple.

I had a feeling Reyna had wanted Jason to be more than just her fellow praetor some time before.

"So," Jason continued, "that's how we found out about the earth goddess Gaea. She's still half asleep, but she's the one freeing the monsters from Tartarus and raising the giants. Porphyrion, the big leader dude that Lydia mentioned from the Wolf House; he said he was retreating to the ancient lands— Greece itself. He plans on awakening Gaea and destroying the gods by... what did he call it? Pulling up their roots."

Percy nodded thoughtfully. "Gaea's been busy over here, too. We had our own encounter with Queen Dirt Face."

Percy recounted his side of the story. He talked about waking up at the Wolf House with no memories except for one name— Annabeth.

I could tell Annabeth was trying not to cry.

Percy told us about how he'd traveled to Alaska with Frank and Hazel— how they'd defeated the giant Alcyoneus, freed the death god Thanatos, and returned with the lost golden eagle standard of the Roman camp to repel an attack by the giants' army.

When Percy finished, Jason whistled appreciatively. "No wonder they made you praetor."

HELL YEAH! I wanted to yell. PERCY IS AWESOME!

But Octavian ruined the moment with a snort.

"Which means we now have three praetors!" He cried. "The rules clearly state we can only have two."

Percy smiled mischievously. "On the bright side, both Jason and I outrank you, Octavian. So we can both tell you to shut up."

Octavian turned as purple as a Roman T-shirt. Jason gave Percy a fist bump.

Reyna managed a smile, but her eyes were stormy. "We'll have to figure out the extra praetor problem later. Right now we have more serious issues to deal with."

"I'll step aside for Jason," Percy said easily. "It's no biggie."

"No biggie?" Octavian choked. "The praetorship of Rome is no biggie?"

I sort of did agree with Octavian there cause I knew how important it was, but then again it's Percy we're talking about. Plus he's Greek.

Percy ignored him and turned to Jason. "You're Thalia Grace's brother, huh? Wow. You guys look nothing alike."

"Yeah, I noticed," Jason said. "Anyways, thanks for helping my camp while I was gone. You did an awesome job."

"Back at you," Percy said.

"Hey guys," I said, "sorry to interrupt your bromance but we have really serious things to talk about. Number one on our list— the Great Prophecy or Prophecy of the Eight."

Reyna nodded. "Yes, thank you. Octavian, you have it committed to memory?"

"Of course," he said. "But Reyna—"

"Recite it, please. In English, not Latin."

Octavian sighed. "Eight half bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall—"

"An oath to keep with a final breath," Annabeth continued abruptly. "And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."

Everyone stared at her— except for Leo, who had constructed a pinwheel out of aluminum foil taco wrappers and was sticking it into passing wind spirits.

"We know the prophecy by memory too," I said quickly so she wouldn't be judged too harshly. "Our oracle— Rachel— she said it on August 18th of last year. We were present when it came. It's been stuck in our heads awhile."

Frank sat forward, not really having paid attention to my comment. "Is it true you're a child of Min— I mean, Athena?"

"Yes," Annabeth said a bit defensively. "Why is that such a surprise?"

Octavian scoffed. "If you're truly a child of the wisdom goddess—"

"Enough," Reyna snapped. "Annabeth is what she says. She's here in peace. Besides..." she gave Annabeth a look of grudging respect. "Percy has spoken highly of you."

I looked between Reyna and Percy, who suddenly was very interested in his cheeseburger.

Shit. Reyna had also tried to make a move on Percy. And he'd turned her down for Annabeth.

"Uh, thanks," Annabeth said, clearly having realized this too. "At any rate, some of the prophecy is becoming clear. Foes bearing arms to the Doors of Death... that means Romans and Greeks. We have to combine forces to find those doors."

Hazel picked up something next to her plate. It looked like a large ruby, but she quickly slipped it into the pocket of her denim shirt before I could get a proper look. "My brother, Nico, went looking for the doors."

"Wait," I said. "Nico? Nico di Angelo? He's your brother?"

Hazel nodded as if it were meant to be obvious.

"He disappeared," Hazel said softly. "I'm afraid... I'm not sure, but I think something's happened to him."

"We'll look for him," Percy promised. "We have to find the Doors of Death anyway. Thanatos told us we'd find both answers in Rome— like the original Rome. That's on the way to Greece, right?"

"Thanatos told you this?" Annabeth asked. "The death god?"

Percy took a bite of his burger. "Now that Death is free, monsters will disintegrate and return to Tartarus again like they used to. But as long as the Doors of Death are open, they'll just keep coming back.

Piper twisted the feather in her hair. "Like water leaking through a dam."

Percy and I automatically looked at each other, and out of impulse said, "We've got a dam hole."

"Huh?" Piper asked.

"Nothing," I said. "Inside joke."

I had missed him.

"The point is," Percy continued, "we'll have to find the doors and close them before we can head to Greece. It's the only way we'll stand a chance of defeating the giants and making sure they stay defeated."

Reyna plucked an apple from a passing fruit tray. She turned it in her fingers, studying the dark red surface. "You propose an expedition to Greece in your warship. You do realize that the ancient lands— and the Mare Nostrum— are dangerous?"

"Mary who?" Leo asked.

"Mare Nostrum," I said. "Our Sea. The proper Roman name for the Mediterranean."

Reyna nodded. "The territory that was once the Roman Empire is not only the birthplace of the gods. It's also the ancestral home of the monsters, Titans, and giants... and worse things. As dangerous as travel is for demigods here in America, there it would be ten times worse."

"You said Alaska would be bad," Percy said. "We survived that."

Reyna shook her head. Her fingernails cut little crescents into the apple as she turned it. "Percy, traveling in the Mediterranean is a different level of danger altogether. It's been off limits to Roman demigods for centuries. No hero in his right mind would go there."

"Then we're good!" Leo grinned over the top of his pinwheel. "Because we're all crazy, right? Besides, the Argo II is a top of the line warship. She'll get us through."

"We'll have to hurry," Jason added. "I don't know exactly what the giants are planning, but Gaea is growing more conscious all the time. She's invading dreams, appearing in weird places, summoning more and more powerful monsters. We have to stop the giants before they can wake her up fully."

"Eight half bloods must answer the call," I said. "It needs to be a mix of Roman and Greek demigods. I definitely think it's Jason, Piper, Leo, Annabeth, and I. Then Percy, Hazel, and Frank. That's eight."

"What?" Octavian shot to his feet.

I rolled my eyes. "Octavian, even you can't be this dumb. Hera specifically placed Jason, Piper, and Leo together with me for the quest to rescue her. Annabeth and Percy are must haves. And it was no coincidence Hazel and Frank were the ones to venture to Alaska with Percy. That was preordained. It MUST be us eight."

"Plus me," Lit said with an awkward grin. "Extra protection and moral support."

Octavian was fuming. "We're just supposed to accept that? Without a vote in the senate? Without a proper debate?"

He began to curse at me in Latin— probably not expecting me to understand what he was saying.

When I began to retaliate (also in Latin) he flinched, and Lit had to hold me back from punching his face in.

"Percy!"

Tyson's call was the only thing that stopped me from losing my chance at a medical license by dissecting Octavian's brain with Slasher.

He ran toward us with Mrs. O'Leary at his heels. On her back sat the skinniest harpy I'd ever seem— a sickly looking girl with stringy red hair, a sackcloth dress, and red feathered wings.

Tyson stopped by our couch and wrung his meaty hands. His big brown eye was full of concern. "Ella is scared!"

"N-n-no more boats," the harpy muttered, picking at her feathers. "Titanic, Lusitania, Pax... boats are not for harpies."

Leo squinted. He looked at Hazel, who was seated next to him. "Did that chicken girl just compare my ship to the Titanic?"

"She's not a chicken." Hazel averted her eyes, as if Leo made her nervous. "Ella's a harpy. She's just a little... high strung."

"Ella is pretty," Tyson said, which made me smirk. "And scared. We need to take her away, but she will not go on the ship."

"No ships," Ella repeated. She looked straight at Annabeth. "Bad luck. There she is. Wisdom's daughter walks alone—"

"Ella!" Frank stood suddenly. "Maybe it's not the best time—"

"The Mark of Athena burns through Rome," Ella continued, cupping her hands over her ears and raising her voice. "Twins snuff out the angel's breath, Who holds the key to endless death. Giants' bane stands gold and pale, Won through pain from a woven jail."

The effect was like someone dropping a flash grenade on the table. Everyone stared at the harpy. No one spoke.

Annabeth was tensed up beside me. Only I knew what lay in her pocket— the silver coin from her mother.

"I know!" Percy said as he stood and took Tyson's arm. "How about you take Ella to get some fresh air? You and Mrs. O'Leary—"

"Hold on." Octavian gripped one of his teddy bears, strangling it with shaking hands. His eyes fixed on Ella. "What was that she said? It sounded like—"

"Ella reads a lot," Frank blurted out. "We found her at a library."

"Yes!" Hazel said. "Probably just something she read in a book."

"Book," Ella muttered helpfully. "Ella likes books."

I could tell Percy, Hazel, and Frank were hiding something.

"That was a prophecy," Octavian insisted. "It sounded like a prophecy."

I jumped to their rescue with a laugh.

"A prophecy?" I said. "Gods— don't you read? That's a line from a Greek adaptation of an Egyptian novel. It was the basis of movies like Indiana Jones and Pirates of the Caribbean. The Egyptians wrote about Horus's journey to avenge his father, Osiris. In that time the city of Athens had just been named and a writer— I forget the dude's name— ventured to Egypt. He came back with the story but fit it with Athena because well, it was his patron goddess. He tied it with the myth of the Mark of Athena. He changed it so the first daughter of Athena in Greece—" I totally made up the name "Morgan, was the central character. She had to help them defeat a few Hyperboreans, nothing like what we're facing."

I crossed my arms. "The point is that you, first of all, are an uncultured swine for not knowing that. Secondly, you really think a harpy would know a prophecy? Ours have barely enough intelligence to clean cabins and cook lunches. Do yours foretell the future? Do you consult them for your auguries? Do you wait to mutilate your stuffed animals until after they give the signal?"

My words had the intended effect. The Roman officers laughed nervously, like what I said made sense.

"I, uh..." Octavian dropped his teddy bear. "No, but—"

"She probably found the book and read it," I said. "We have a real prophecy to worry about— who cares about one that was made up by a mortal?" I turned to Tyson. "Percy's right. Maybe you, Ella, and Mrs. O'Leary can shadow travel somewhere for awhile."

"Large dogs are good," Ella said. "Old Yeller, 1957, screenplay by Fred Gipson and William Tunberg."

"Great!" I said. I patted Mrs. O'Leary's nose and tiptoed to give her a forehead kiss as she bowed her head. "We'll Iris message you guys when we're done and catch up with you later."

I could see Annabeth, Percy, Hazel, and Frank looking at me gratefully.

Reyna had a poker face on— and it was excellent. I didn't know what she was thinking. "Fine. Go."

"Yay!" Tyson went around the couches and gave everyone a big hug— even Octavian, who didn't look happy about it. Then he climbed onto Mrs. O'Leary's back with Ella and they shadow traveled away.

"Well." Reyna set down her uneaten apple. "Octavian is right about one thing. We must gain the senate's approval before we let any of our legionnaires go on a quest— especially one as dangerous as you're suggesting."

"This whole thing smells of treachery," Octavian grumbled. "That trireme is not a ship of peace!"

"Come aboard, man," Leo offered. "I'll give you a tour. You can steer the boat, and if you're really good, I'll give you a little paper captain's hat to wear."

Octavian's nostrils flared. "How dare you—"

"It's a good idea," Reyna stated. "Octavian, go with him. See the ship. We'll convene a senate meeting in one hour."

"But..." Octavian stopped. Apparently he could tell from Reyna's expression that further arguing would not be good for his health. "Fine"

Leo got up. He turned to me, and his smile changed. It happened so quickly, I thought I had imagined it; but just for a moment I saw someone else standing in his place, smiling coldly with a cruel light in his eyes. It was still Leo's body, but it didn't remind me of Leo at all. When I blinked, Leo was just regular old Leo again, with his usual impish grin.

"Back soon," he promised. "This is gonna be epic."

I looked around and saw Annabeth staring at Leo strangely too. Had she noticed what I had?

I had the urge to call back Leo and Octavian, but I had nothing to say. What, I was seeing things? I had a 'bad feeling'? It wasn't logical.

"Uh, Reyna," Jason said, "if you don't mind, I'd like to show Piper around before the senate meeting. She's never seen New Rome."

Reyna's expression hardened.

I wondered how Jason could be so dense. Did he really not understand how much Reyna liked him? It was pretty obvious to me, and I'd only met her once before this. He was asking to show his girlfriend around her city. That was like rubbing salt in a wound.

"Of course," Reyna said coldly.

"Yeah, me too," Percy said, taking Annabeth's hand. I wanted to face palm myself— was he that oblivious too? Then again, he didn't know Annabeth and Rachel had crushes on him even when both were present— especially when we went on the quest in the Labyrinth. "I'd like to show Annabeth—"

"No," Reyna snapped.

Percy knit his eyebrows. "Sorry?"

"I'd like a few words with Annabeth," Reyna said. "Alone. If you don't mind, my fellow praetor."

Her tone made it clear she wasn't really asking for his permission.

"Sure," Percy said casually.

Reyna turned to me. "I will find you when I finish speaking with Annabeth. There are a few things I'd like to know and I believe you'll be most equipped to tell me."

I nodded, and Lit took my hand.

Reyna led Annabeth away, and Percy awkwardly went to stand with Hazel and Frank.

"Let's introduce ourselves a little better," I said. Lit nodded and tugged me towards the Roman demigods.

"It's nice to meet you," I said, smiling to Frank and Hazel. "Have you guys been here long?"

"Not that long," Hazel said. "Either of us."

"You're the famous Lydia," Frank noted. "Percy talked a lot about you and Annabeth."

I raised my eyebrows at Percy.

"Well when that thing with the gorgon blood happened I started getting more memories," he said. "I remembered you and Grover and my mom first— and well in the past months I've told Hazel and Frank all about our adventures."

"I think I remember Nico telling me about Luke— your brother," Hazel said. "He said he went straight for rebirth."

I nodded. "He did, yes."

"Last time I saw Nico when I asked him about it— well, since Percy had told us— he told me to tell you that Luke was... he was reborn in Mississippi to a nice couple that hadn't been able to have kids. He was their blessing— their miracle child. They named him Emmanuel, and... his middle name is Luke. Emmanuel Luke Montgomery."

I smiled, feeling my chest tighten slightly. I didn't let any tears come forth. "That— that's wonderful... wow... I um... well I'll make sure to thank Nico when we find and rescue him— from wherever he is."

At this, Hazel have a hopeful smile. She looked like she wanted to say something, but then looked cautiously at Lit.

"What?" I asked, looking at Lit.

"Well... Nico also wanted me to tell you about... Ethan. And where he was reborn."

I tensed a bit. "Oh... nice. What... what about him?"

I knew Lit probably didn't mind but it still felt weird to talk about Ethan when he was there.

"He was born to a young couple in Idaho— younger brother to four girls. They named him Matthew."

"I'm glad," I said quietly, wringing my hands together.

"So uh— if you'll excuse us," Lit said suddenly, I want to tour the place with Lydia."

They waved goodbye and Lit led me away.

"You don't have to pretend he wasn't someone who meant something to you," Lit said as soon as we got away. "Lydia, I understand. I understand he loved you and you loved him. I'm not going to act jealous if you talk about him— that's absurd. He was a part of your life. That's natural. You can embrace it all you'd like— don't feel you have to disregard him because of me. I know you care about me— I have no reason to dislike you talking about someone you loved before I came. I understand how much he meant. If you need to talk about him you can, and should. Don't feel obligated to shut him out of conversations."

I felt my eyes well up with tears. "Lit why— why are you so understanding? It's hard to believe you're a real person."

His cheeks tinted pink. "I-I well... I try."

He leaned down to kiss my forehead. "I just want you to be happy and comfortable around me. Living without limits. I don't want to hold you back from expressing your feelings. I get it, Lydia, I do. It's natural."

"Thank you," I said softly, pulling him in for a hug.

He held me in his chest, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"What if we came here?" He asked quietly.

"What?" I said, pulling away.

"To live here. They have whole families here. When you graduate medical school— we can live here and find work in the nearby cities. It's safe here— safer than it would be anywhere else. We can have a family here and not be worried they're going to be attacked. The kids here are so free, and happy."

I looked at him, a smile forming on my face. "That... that would be amazing. We could do it... I'd like that very, very much."

He beamed. "Good... good."

"So, you do want kids."

He blushed. "Well I'd like them. We don't have to and I don't want you to feel pressured into it but—" he breathed deeply. "Lydia, I love you. I love you so much. And I just know that I'm going to love you until my dying day and even beyond if I can keep my memories. I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Kids usually come with that. I'm saying if we wanted to start a family— this would be the perfect place for it."

"I agree," I said, lacing my fingers with his. "We could. Definitely not now— but... in the future. Okay?"

He grinned and kissed me firmly on the lips. "Gods, I love you."

"I care a lot about you too," I said, leaning further into the kiss.

That's when the sound of an explosion rang out, and a crater formed ten feet away from us, knocking us to the ground.


	49. Leo Goes Loco

Lit and I scrambled up, and bolted toward where Roman demigods very angrily stormed closer to the Argo II.

"What the hell happened?" Lit yelled over the commotion.

"I don't know! I can teleport to—"

There was another blast and another explosion rang out. I barely managed to throw Lit out of the way.

"I don't think it's safe for you to go up there!" Lit said as we got up. "Besides I think we need you down here."

He was right.

If weapons had been allowed in the city, my friends and I would all be dead. The Roman demigods in the forum had now properly coalesced into a furious mob. Some threw plates, food, and rocks at the Argo II— which was pointless— as most of the stuff fell back into the crowd.

I could see that several Romans had surrounded Piper and Jason— who were trying to calm them without much luck. Piper's charmspeak was useless against so many screaming, angry demigods.

I could see Jason's forehead was bleeding. His purple cloak had been ripped to shreds. He kept pleading, "I'm on your side!" but his orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt didn't help matters— nor did the warship overhead, firing flaming spears into New Rome. One landed nearby and blasted a toga shop to rubble.

"Yeah, you're right," I said, putting my hand on my belt.

Armed legionnaires were hurrying toward the forum. Two artillery crews had set up catapults just outside the Pomerian Line and were preparing to fire at the Argo II.

"Crap," Lit snarled as he watched them. "That's just going to make things worse."

He looked at me and nodded, and we charged, weaving through the crowd. We ducked between angry Romans who were burning couches, and past exploding buildings. Hundreds of purple ghosts drifted through the forum, passing straight through demigods' bodies and wailing incoherently.

It seemed the satyrs— no, FAUNS, stupid stupid FAUNS— had taken advantage of the chaos. They swarmed the dining tables, grabbing food, plates, and cups. One trotted beside Lit with his arms full of tacos and an entire pineapple between his teeth.

Just before Lit and I reached the center where I could see Percy, Hazel, and Frank, a statue of Terminus exploded into being, right in front of me.

"I KNEW WE COULDN'T TRUST YOU LYING AND RULE BREAKING GREEKS!"

"At least I have arms!" I spat, pushing him over.

It was a mean thing to say but with gods like him you have to be harsh.

"Nice one, Lydia!"

I saw Annabeth had caught up to us. She hurdled the fallen Terminus statue and kept running.

We ran straight to where Percy was repelling the angry Romans with blasts of water. Percy's toga was in tatters, but he looked unhurt.

"PERCY!" Annabeth yelled. "Per—"

Another explosion rocked the forum— the flash of light directly overhead. It seemed one of the Roman catapults had fired, and the Argo II groaned and tilted sideways, flames bubbling over its bronze-plated hull.

"DAMN IT!" I screamed, feeling a sense of anguish.

We worked so hard to get the ship looking so nice and now it was ruined.

From the rope ladder beside the ship I could see Octavian frantically climbing down, his robes steaming, his face black with soot.

Over by the fountain, Percy blasted the Roman mob with more water. We ran to him, ducking a few Roman fists and several flying plated of sandwiches.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled. "Lydia! What's happening?"

"I don't know!" Annabeth cried.

"I'll tell you what!" Cried a voice from above. Octavian had reached the bottom of the ladder. "The Greeks have fired on us! Your boy Leo has trained his weapons on Rome."

Annabeth and I looked at each other. It felt like my chest had filled with liquid hydrogen and at any moment I might shatter into a million frozen pieces.

I turned to Octavian.

"We haven't done shit!" I snarled. "If we didn't know about it do you think this was planned? Besides, Leo would never do that!"

"I was just there!" Octavian shrieked. "I saw it with my own eyes!"

The Argo II returned fire. Legionnaires in the field scattered as one of their catapults was blasted to splinters.

"You see?" Octavian screamed. "Romans, kill the invaders!"

"No— no— PLEASE!" I screamed, but my cries were never going to be heard after the loud yell of agreement to Octavian's proposal that came from the Roman crowd.

Annabeth growled in frustration. "There— there isn't any time for anyone to figure out what's actually happening!"

"We need to retreat," Lit said immediately. "We're outnumbered about a hundred to one and— well, I think this is Octavian's doing— but even then we won't convince the Romans we're not responsible for this. If we stay here we'll be overrun and killed and personally, I wouldn't mind to defeat some Romans right now but that's not a good idea given our situation."

"You're right," Annabeth said. "Let's leave. Now."

Percy nodded grimly. "Hazel, Frank, you've got to make a choice. Are you coming?"

Hazel looked terrified, but she donned her cavalry helmet. "Of course we are. But you'll never make it to the ship unless we buy you some time."

"But how?" Annabeth asked.

Hazel whistled. Instantly a blur of beige shot across the forum. A majestic horse materialized next to the fountain. He reared, whinnying and scattering the mob. Hazel climbed on his back like she'd been born to ride. Strapped to the horse's saddle was a Roman cavalry sword. Hazel unsheathed her golden blade. "Send me an Iris-message when you're safely away, and we'll rendezvous. Arion, ride!"

The horse zipped through the crowd with incredible speed, pushing back Romans and causing mass panic.

"I need a horse like that!" Lit said just as I heard Jason yell, "Romans! PLEASE!"

He and Piper were being pelted with plates and stones. Jason tried to shield Piper, but a brick caught him above the eye. He crumpled and the crowd surged forward.

"Get back!" Piper screamed. Her charmspeak rolled over the mob, making them hesitate. I knew the effect wouldn't last— and we wouldn't reach them in time.

"Frank," Percy said, "it's up to you. Can you help them?"

I had absolutely no idea how Frank would do that all by himself, but he swallowed nervously.

"Oh gods," he murmured. "Okay, sure. Just get up the ropes. Now."

Lit lunged for the ladder and threw Octavian off of it, right into the mob. He grabbed Annabeth and lifted her up, then me, then Percy, and himself. We climbed as fast as possible as armed legionnaires flooded into the forum. Arrows whistled past my head. An explosion almost knocked us all off the ladder. Halfway up I heard a roar and glanced down.

Romans screamed and scattered as a full sized dragon charged through the forum— a beast even scarier than the Lydian drakon I'd faced when we battled Kronos. It had rough gray skin like a Komodo lizard's and leathery bat wings. Arrows and rocks bounced harmlessly off its hide as it lumbered toward Piper and Jason, grabbed them with its front claws, and vaulted into the air.

"No fucking way!" I cried. "Is that—?"

"Frank," Percy confirmed, a grin on his face. "He has a few special talents."

"Serious understatement!" Lit yelled. "Keep climbing!"

Without the dragon and Hazel's horse to distract the archers, we never would have made it up the ladder; but finally we climbed past a row of broken aerial oars and onto the deck. The rigging was on fire. The foresail was ripped down the middle, and the ship listed badly to starboard. There was no sign of Coach Hedge, but Leo stood amidships, calmly reloading the ballista. My gut twisted with horror.

"Leo!" I screamed. "What are you doing?"

"Destroy them..." he faced us. His eyes were glazed. His movements were like a robot's. "Destroy them all."

As soon as he turned back to the ballista, Lit and Percy tackled him. Lit pinned Leo's arms behind his back, which made Leo's head hit the deck hard. His eyes rolled up so that only the whites showed. The gray dragon soared into view. It circled the ship once and landed at the bow, depositing Jason and Piper, who both collapsed.

"Go!" Percy yelled. "Get us out of here!"

With a shock I realized he was talking to Annabeth and I.

We bolted for the helm. I made the mistake of glancing over the rail and saw armed legionnaires closing ranks in the forum and preparing flaming arrows. Hazel spurred Arion, and they raced out of the city with a mob chasing after them. More catapults were being wheeled into range. All along the Pomerian Line, the statues of Terminus were glowing purple, as if building up energy for some kind of attack.

"Lydia I don't— I can't!" Annabeth cried, looking wide eyed at the controls.

I think she was too nervous.

"I got it!" I cried, launching myself forward. I grabbed the aviation throttle and yanked it straight back. The ship groaned. The bow tilted up at a horrifying angle. The mooring lines snapped, and the Argo II shot into the clouds.

____________

"One more time," Annabeth said, her face serious to an intimidating level. "Exactly what happened?"

Leo slumped against the mast, and he looked around.

I could sense his anguish. All around us the ship was in shambles. The aft crossbows were piles of kindling. The foresail was tattered. The satellite array that powered the onboard Internet and TV was blown to bits, which had really made Coach Hedge mad.

Festus was coughing up smoke like he had a hairball. When I'd peeked over the side, I realized the groaning sounds we kept hearing on port side meant that some of the aerial oars had been knocked out of alignment or broken off completely. That'd also explain why the ship was listing and shuddering as it flew, the engine wheezing like an asthmatic steam train.

Yes, Thomas the Tank Engine, like you.

Leo choked back a sob. "I don't know. It's fuzzy."

He looked up, and I knew we were overwhelming him. Between Annabeth and Lit's angry stares, Coach Hedge's annoyed look, and Frank crossing his arms at him, Leo must've felt awful.

I offered a reassuring smile that I hoped he's take as a cue to just tell the truth, but I don't think it worked because even I was struggling to hold back a lot of anger. The smile probably made him think I might slice him to bits.

Annabeth crossed her arms. "You mean you don't remember?"

"I...." Leo swallowed hard. "I remember, but it's like I was watching myself do things. I couldn't control it."

Coach Hedge tapped his bat against the deck. "Look kid, you blew up some stuff. You attacked some Romans. Awesome! Excellent! But did you have to knock out the satellite channels? I was right in the middle of watching a cage match."

Annabeth turned sharply to him. "Coach, why don't you make sure all the fires are out?"

"But I already did that."

"Do it again."

The satyr trudged off, muttering under his breath. Even Hedge wasn't crazy enough to defy Annabeth.

She knelt next to Leo. "Leo. Did Octavian trick you somehow? Did he frame you, or—"

"No," Leo said. "The guy was a jerk, but he didn't fire on the camp. I did."

Frank scowled. "On purpose."

"No!" Leo squeezed his eyes shut. "Well, yes... I mean, I didn't want to. But at the same time, I felt like I wanted to. Something was making me do it. There was this cold feeling inside me—"

"Cold feeling?" Lit said sharply. At first I thought he was saying it in disbelief, but then I realized he sounded really worried.

"Yeah," Leo said. "Why?"

Lit furrowed his eyebrows. "I have heard of... minions... of Gaea... I can't remember—"

"Lydia!" Percy's voice called below deck. "We need you."

My stomach sank.

As soon as they'd gotten on board, Piper had taken Jason below. Since I'd been flying the ship I hadn't been able to go down and treat him.

"Be right back," I said before bolting down the stairs.

I reached Jason's room, and winced.

He was shivering, and Piper was crying beside him. Percy was pale.

"I don't know what happened," he mumbled. "He just started twitching."

"I think he's having a small seizure," I said, rushing forward and grabbing the medical kit. I checked his eyes and muttered to myself before taking out one of the small drills and a syringe.

"What are you doing?" Piper cried.

"I need to drill a hole in his head to alleviate the pressure. Then when he calms down I can heal him with my powers."

Piper stepped back and covered her eyes as I injected Jason. He stopped twitching seconds later, his body slumping against his bed. I then turned his head to the side, measuring a distance before quickly drilling a small hole. I wasted no time in hooking him up to a monitor.

Luckily it didn't take too long for the pressure to alleviate. When it did I removed him from the monitor and pressed my hand on his forehead.

The whole room was illuminated with light as I concentrated, and Jason's body glowed slightly.

I then stumbled back, and Percy caught me.

"He should be good," I said a bit weakly, feeling dizzy. Piper rushed to Jason's side, stroking his head as Percy handed me the nearest liquid he found— a can of Minute Maid lemonade.

"Thanks," I said, chugging it down.

"So what happened to Leo?" He asked when I set the can down.

I winced. "He did fire the ballista. But there's something else—"

Percy wasn't listening. His expression hardened and he stormed out.

"Percy!" I hissed, following him. "Percy don't—"

Leo jumped as Percy and I appeared back on the deck. "Is Jason—?"

"He's fine," I said quickly. "But—"

"Lydia says you did fire the ballista?" Percy said coldly, glaring at Leo.

"Man, I—I don't understand how it happened. I'm so sorry—"

"Sorry?" Percy growled.

I dove in front of Leo, and Annabeth simultaneously pressed her hand on Percy's chest, pushing him back. "We'll figure it out later," she said as gently as she could muster. "Right now we have to regroup and make a plan. What's the situation with the ship?"

Leo began to recite what was needed to fix the ship. He was bemoaning the shortage of Celestial bronze when Festus began to whir and squeak.

"Perfect," Leo sighed with relief.

"What's perfect?" Annabeth said. "I could use some perfect about now."

Leo managed a smile. "Everything we need in one place. Frank, why don't you turn into a bird or something? Fly down and tell you girlfriend to meet us at the Great Salt Lake in Utah."

____________

Once we got there, it was a pretty awful landing.

With the oars damaged and the foresail torn, we had to get strapped into seats below while Leo descended.

"I can't remember," Lit mumbled as he sat beside me, his whole face scrunched up in concentration. "Cold feeling... possessing..."

"It's okay," I said softly. "You don't need to remember exactly, don't strain yourself. The point is that this wasn't exactly Leo's fault, right?"

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, that's true. I feel bad that I was so mad at him now. The poor dude didn't even do it."

"He'll forgive you. He's an understanding person, you know that. Just... when it gets resolved or figured out... let him know."

He nodded, and smiled. "I'm just glad you're not hurt."

"And I'm glad you're not hurt either," I piped up.

"I love you."

I felt my cheeks grow hot again. "I care a lot about you too."

He kissed my forehead, and I relaxed.

The all clear bell sounded, and we headed for the deck. I stepped onto it just as Hazel and her horse appeared.

"How—?" Leo choked. "We're in the middle of a lake! Can that thing fly?"

Arion said something very rude.

"Arion can't fly," Hazel said. "But he can run across just about anything. Water, vertical surfaces, small mountains— none of that bothers him."

"Oh."

"Well aren't you magnificent?" I said, patting Arion's nose. Then I said to him (in horse), "you need to watch your tongue, sailor, cause Percy and I both speak horse and if I hear you curse too much I might need to wash your mouth with soap."

Arion looked like he made a mocking face.

Leo gave Hazel, Frank, and Percy a tour of the ship before anything else. We all tagged along, showing off our respective rooms.

Lit was proud to show his collection of weapons very nicely arranged on the wall, and one of those college dorm beds with a bunk on top and a desk where the bottom bunk would be. He'd laid out several technique sketches, which Percy found fascinating.

My room seemed to impress Percy more than the other two.

"Wow, Lydia," he said. "You clean your stuff now?"

"Shut the fuck up," I said, which I noticed made Hazel blush.

"Sorry, I meant frick," I said, my face red as I showed them my shelf filled with medical textbooks and notebooks with tons of vocabulary and drawings. On the walls I'd hung posters of the brain and its structure, along with images of bands like Queen, Panic! At the Disco, Green Day, and Fall Out Boy.

On our way back to the lounge, we passed Jason's room. The door was open, and we could see Piper was still stroking Jason's hair, an ice pack now on his head.

Piper glanced at us and held a finger to her lips for quiet.

Leo led the way to the mess hall, which was very comforting for us Greeks because the cupboard was lined with magic cups and plates from Camp— the ones that magically fill up with whatever food or drink we want on command.

There was also a magical ice chest with canned drinks, cushioned chairs that reclined with thousand finger massage, build in headphones, and sword and drink holders.

There were no windows, but the walls were enchanted to show real time footage from Camp Half Blood— the beach, the forest, the strawberry fields.

Percy was staring longingly at a sunset view of Half Blood Hill, where the Golden Fleece glittered in the branches of the tall pine tree.

"It's been a long time," he said softly.

"Yep," I said. I cleared my throat. "So now we've landed. What do we do?"

Frank plucked on his bowstring. "Figure out the prophecy? I mean... that was a prophecy Ella spoke, right? Not some novel?"

"Yep," I said. "A prophecy. But from where—"

"The Sibylline Books," Frank said.

"The what?" Leo asked.

Frank explained how Ella was freakishly good at memorizing books. At some point in the past she'd practically inhaled a collection of ancient prophecies that had supposedly been destroyed around the fall of Rome.

"Ah," I said. "So that's why it was so important we kept it a secret. You didn't want them to get a hold of her."

Percy nodded, still staring at the image of Half Blood Hill. "Ella's sensitive. She was a captive when we found her. I just didn't want..." He made a fist. "It doesn't matter now. I sent Tyson an Iris message— told him to take Ella to Camp Half Blood. They'll be safe there."

Annabeth laced her fingers. "Let me think about the prophecy— but right now we have more immediate problems. We have to get this ship fixed. Leo, what do we need?"

"The easiest thing is tar. We can get that in the city, at a roofing supply store or someplace like that. Also, Celestial bronze and lime. According to Festus, we can find both of those on an island in the lake, just west of here."

"We have to hurry," Hazel warned. "If I know Octavian, he's searching for us with his auguries. The Romans will send a strike force after us. It's a matter of honor."

I don't think we all meant to look at Leo, but we did.

Leo turned red. "Guys I don't know what happened. Honestly I—"

"I stand firm on my theory," Lit said. "It couldn't have been you. Once I figure out which minion of Gaea's did this— we will resolve it."

Frank grunted. "How can we be sure it won't happen again?"

"I'm fine now," Leo insisted. "Maybe we should use a buddy system. Nobody goes anywhere alone. We can leave Piper and Coach Hedge on board with Jason. Send one team into town to get tar. Another team can go after the bronze and the lime."

"Split up?" Percy said. "That sounds like a really bad idea."

"It'll be quicker," Hazel put in. "Besides, there's a reason a quest is usually limited to three demigods, and in some cases four, right?"

Annabeth raised her eyebrows, as if reappraising Hazel's merits. "You're right. The same reason we needed the Argo II. Outside camp nine demigods in one place will attract way too much monstrous attention. The ship is designed to conceal and protect us. We should be safe enough on board; but if we go on expeditions, we shouldn't travel in groups larger than four. No sense alerting more of Gaea's minions than we have to."

Percy still didn't look happy about it, but he took Annabeth's hand. "As long as you're my buddy, I'm good."

Hazel smiled. "Oh, that's easy. Frank, you were amazing turning into a dragon! Could you do it again to fly Annabeth and Percy into town for the tar?"

Frank opened his mouth like he wanted to protest. "I...I suppose. But what about you?"

"I'll ride Arion with Sa— with Leo, here. And um... Lit and Lydia." She fidgeted with her sword hilt. "We'll get the bronze and the lime. We can all meet back here by dark."

Frank scowled, and Annabeth nodded. "Okay. Leo, if we get the supplies, how long to fix the ship?"

"With luck, just a few hours," he said. He looked at Lit. "Um... it'd help more if you stayed behind and started removing all the damaged parts— you know how to do it better than anyone."

Lit seemed crestfallen that he couldn't accompany me on the small adventure. "Yeah, I guess so. Pretty much just removing the boards that cover where the tar is stored and opening that basin for the lime, right?"

"Yep," Leo said. "See, you're the best man for the job."

Annabeth seemed to agree. "Fine. We'll meet back here as soon as possible. But stay safe. We could use some good luck. That doesn't mean we'll get it."

She and Percy headed out with Frank, and Lit pulled me in for a firm kiss. "Come back to me in one piece, okay?"

"Promise," I said, smiling before pecking his lips again, then following Leo and Hazel to the deck where Arion was waiting— still cursing.


	50. We Meet Vengeance Herself

Riding Arion was absolutely amazing— let me tell you that horse (as much of a curser as he is) is just majestic.

I sat between Leo and Hazel, hanging onto her and dealing with him hanging on to me as we approached an island— a line of sand so white, it might have been pure table salt. Behind that rose an expanse of grassy dunes and weathered boulders.

Before we'd left, Percy had briefly explained to Leo and I Hazel's story— and how she'd died in the 1940's and been brought back to life only a few months ago.

It was clear when Percy looked at Leo to tell him not to make jokes that he was threatening him.

I guess Leo didn't make the best first impression.

When we arrived on the beach and dismounted, Arion began to paw the sand.

" _I'm hungry!_ " He called. " _Like— really fucking hungry."_

" _Hey, watch your mouth,_ " I said. "Hazel— he's hungry."

"Ah," she said. "Well he likes gold—"

"Gold?" Leo asked.

"—but he'll settle for grass. Go on, Arion. Thanks for the ride. I'll call you."

Just like that, the horse was gone— nothing left but a steaming trail across the lake.

"Fast horse," Leo said, "and expensive to feed."

"Not really," Hazel said. "Gold is easy for me."

Leo raised his eyebrows. "How is gold easy? Please tell me you're not related to King Midas. I don't like that guy."

Hazel pursed her lips as if she regretted raising the subject. "Never mind."

I elbowed Leo hard on the ribs. "Shut up!"

"Hey just cause he's your boyfriend's dad—"

"Just shut up."

Leo rolled his eyes and knelt, cupping a handful of white sand. "Well... one problem solved, anyway. This is lime."

Hazel frowned. "The whole beach?"

"Yeah. See? The granules are perfectly round. It's not really sand. It's calcium carbonate." Leo pulled a Ziploc bag from his tool belt and dug his hand into the lime.

He suddenly froze, staring at the ground.

"Leo?" I asked.

He didn't respond.

"Leo?" Hazel asked, a bit more urgently. "You okay?"

He took a shaky breath. "Yeah. Yeah— fine."

Hazel and I knelt to help him fill the bag.

"We should've brought a pail and shovels," I groaned.

"We could have made a sand castle," Leo said with a smile.

"A lime castle," Hazel suggested.

I noticed their eyes lock, and I rolled my eyes.

Hazel looked away first. "You are so much like—"

"Sammy?" Leo asked.

She fell backward. "You know?"

"I have no idea who Sammy is. But Frank asked me if I was sure that wasn't my name."

"And... it isn't?"

"No! Jeez."

"You don't have a twin brother or...? Is your family from New Orleans?"

"Nah, Houston. Why? Is Sammy a guy you used to know?"

"I...It's nothing. You just look like him."

I felt like I was watching an episode of Law and Order or something.

I could tell Hazel wanted to ask more questions. Perhaps Sammy was someone from the 1940s? Maybe she'd told Frank and showed him a picture or something?

We all finished filling the bag in silence, which was awful for me because you know I love to talk. Leo stuffed it into his tool belt and the bag vanished.

He stood and scanned the island. "Festus said there was Celestial bronze close by, but I'm not sure where—"

"That way." Hazel pointed up the beach. "About five hundred yards."

"How do you—?"

"Precious metals," Hazel said. "It's a Pluto thing."

Now I knew why gold was easy for her.

"Handy talent," Leo said. "Lead the way, Miss Metal Detector."

The sun slowly began to set, the sky turning into a bizarre mix of purple and yellow as we walked.

Normally I might've enjoyed a walk with Leo and Hazel— they were cool people. But something just felt weird about the whole thing.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Leo asked.

"We're close," she promised. "Come on."

As we crossed over the dunes, we saw a woman.

She sat on a boulder in the middle of a grassy field. A black-and-chrome motorcycle was parked nearby, but each of the wheels had a pie slice removed from the spokes and rim, so that they resembled Pac-Men. No way the bike was drivable in that condition.

The woman had curly black hair and a bony frame. She wore black leather biker's pants, tall leather boots, and a blood red leather jacket— sort of a Michael Jackson joins the Hell's Angels look. Around her feet, the ground was littered with what looked like broken shells. She hunched over, pulling new ones out of a sack and cracking them open. Shucking oysters? I wasn't sure.

Hazel forced ahead, and we followed. As we got closer I noticed that the woman also had a curled whip on her belt, and that her red leather jacket had a subtle design to it— twisted branches of an apple tree populated with skeletal birds.

The oysters seemed to be fortune cookies.

A pule of broken cookies lay ankle deep around her. She kept pulling new ones from her sack, cracking them open, and reading the fortunes. Most she tossed aside. A few made her mutter unhappily. She would swipe her finger over the slip of paper like she was smudging it, then magically reseal the cookie and toss it into a nearby basket.

"What are you doing?" Leo blurted out.

The woman looked up and I gasped.

Her eyes were the same color as his one.

"Aunt Rosa?" Leo blurted out.

"Is that what you see?" The woman asked. "Interesting. And you, Hazel dear?"

"How did you—?" Hazel stepped back in alarm. "You— you look like Mrs. Leer. My third grade teacher. I hated you."

The woman cackled. "Excellent. You resented her, eh? She judged you unfairly?"

"You— she taped my hands to the desk for misbehaving," Hazel said. "She called my mother a witch. She blamed me for everything I didn't do and— No. She has to be dead. Who are you?"

"Oh, Lydia knows," the woman said. "Yes, Lydia Castellan, I have been wanting to meet you for a long time. My son always spoke highly of you."

I swallowed hard. "Nemesis. G-Goddess of revenge. Ethan's—"

"Mother, yes," she said. "You see, Hazel? She recognizes me. Tell me Lydia, who do you see?"

"M-My f-first Med school professor. She would— she would say I cheated on every test— that there was no way I— I was doing better than the adults—"

"Mhm." She crackled another cookie and wrinkled her nose. "You will have a great fortune when you least expect it," she read. "That's exactly the sort of nonsense I hate. Someone opens a cookie, and suddenly they have a prophecy that they'll be rich! I blame that tramp Tyche. Always dispensing good luck to people who don't deserve it!"

Leo winced. "Uh... you know those aren't real prophecies, right? They're just stuffed in the cookies at some factory—"

"Don't try to excuse it!" Nemesis snapped. "It's just like Tyche to get people's hopes up. No, no. I must counter her." Nemesis flicked a finger over the slip of paper, and the letters changed to red. "You will die painfully when you most expect it. There! Much better!"

"That's horrible!" Hazel said. "You'd let someone read that in their fortune cookie, and it would come true?"

Nemesis sneered. "My dear Hazel, haven't you ever wished horrible things on Mrs. Leer for the way she treated you?"

"That doesn't mean I'd want them to come true!"

"Bah." The goddess resealed the cookie and tossed it in her basket. "Tyche would be Fortune for you, I suppose, being Roman. Like the others, she's in a horrible way right now. Me? I'm not affected. I am called Nemesis in both Greek and Roman. I do not change, because revenge is universal."

"What are you talking about?" Leo asked. "What are you doing here?"

Nemesis opened another cookie. "Lucky numbers. Ridiculous! That's not even a proper fortune!" She crushed the cookie and scattered the pieces around her feet.

"To answer your question, Leo Valdez, the gods are in terrible shape. It always happens when a Civil War is brewing between the Romans and Greeks. The Olympians are torn between their two natures, called on by both sides. They become quite schizophrenic, I'm afraid. Splitting headaches. Disorientation."

"But we're not at war," Leo insisted.

"Um, Leo..." Hazel winced. "Except for the fact that you recently blew up large sections of New Rome."

Leo stared at her. "Not on purpose!"

"I know..." Hazel said, "but the Romans don't realize that. And they'll be pursuing us in retaliation."

Nemesis cackled. "Leo, listen to the girl. War is coming. Gaea has seen to it, with your help. And can you guess whom the gods blame for their predicament?"

"Me," Leo said.

"No, Leo!" I said, face palming.

Nemesis snorted. "Well, doesn't he have a high opinion of himself. I think Lydia knows."

"It's Hera, isn't it?" I asked. "She put us together and set all the quests and created a whole mess."

"Exactly," Nemesis said. "The queen of the heavens has fled Olympus to escape the wrath of her family. Don't expect any more help from your patron."

"I didn't expect it, ever," I said, rolling my hand yes.

"Why are you here?" Leo asked.

"Why, to offer my help!" Nemesis smiled wickedly.

"Your help," I repeated, glancing at Hazel and Leo.

"Of course!" The goddess said. "I enjoy tearing down the proud and powerful, and there are none who deserve tearing down like Gaea and her giants. Still, I must warn you that I will not suffer undeserved success. Good luck is a sham. The wheel of fortune is a Ponzi scheme. True success requires sacrifice."

"Sacrifice?" Hazel's voice was tight. "I lost my mother. I died and came back. Now my brother is missing. Isn't that enough sacrifice for you?"

I said nothing, just gritted my teeth.

Nemesis looked at me. "I know you feel the same, don't you, Lydia Castellan?"

"I lost too much," I spat. "My brother, my friends, and E-Ethan— what more do you want from me— from us?"

Nemesis said nothing. She just stared at me curiously.

"Right now," Leo said angrily, "all I want is some Celestial bronze."

"Oh, that's easy," Nemesis said. "It's just over the rise. You'll find it with the sweethearts."

"Wait," Hazel said. "What sweethearts?"

Nemesis popped a cookie in her mouth and swallowed it, fortune and all. "You'll see. Perhaps they will teach you a lesson, Hazel Levesque. Most heroes cannot escape their nature, even when given a second chance at life." She smiled. "And speaking of your brother Nico, you don't have much time. Let's see... It's June twenty fifth? Yes, after today, six more days. Then he dies, along with the entire city of Rome."

Hazel's eyes widened. "How...what—?"

"You, daughter of Hermes," Nemesis said, looking right at me. "Your path is going to be perhaps the most difficult of all in just a short time. And you have many, many trust issues. That won't help you with this new boy."

I gritted my teeth, but said nothing.

"And as for you, child of fire." She turned to Leo. "Your worst hardships are yet to come. You will always be the outsider, the ninth wheel. You will not find a place among your brother in. Soon you will face a problem you cannot solve, though I could help you for a price."

"I like to solve my own problems," he said coldly. "But um, what sort of price are we talking about?"

The goddess shrugged. "One of my children, the one Lydia new, traded an eye for the ability to make a real difference in the world."

"You want an eye?" Leo choked.

"In your case, perhaps another sacrifice would do. But something just as painful. Here." She handed him an unbroken fortune cookie. "If you need an answer, break this. It will solve your problem."

"What problem?" Leo asked, looking suspicious.

"You'll know when the time comes."

"No thanks," Leo said firmly. But he slipped the cookie into his tool belt.

Nemesis picked another cookie from her bag and cracked it open. "You will have cause to reconsider your choices soon. Oh, I like that one. No changes needed here."

She resealed the cookie and tossed it into the basket. "Very few gods will be able to help you on this quest. Most are already incapacitated and their confusion will only grow worse. One thing might bring unity to Olympus again— an old wrong finally avenged. Oh, that would be sweet indeed, the scales finally balanced! But it will not happen unless you accept my help."

"I suppose you won't tell us what you're talking about," Hazel muttered. "Or why my brother Nico has only six days to live. Or why Rome is going to be destroyed."

Nemesis chuckled. She rose and slung her sack of cookies over her shoulder. "Oh, it's all tied together, Hazel Levesque. As for my offer, Leo Valdez, give it some thought. You're a good child. A hard worker. We could do business. But I have detained you too long. You should visit the reflecting pool before the light fades. My poor cursed boy gets quite... Agitated when the darkness comes."

She turned to me, a genuine smile on her face. "And thank you, Lydia Castellan, for having given my son someone to live for."

She then climbed onto her motorcycle. Apparently, it was drivable, despite those Pac-Man shaped wheels, because Nemesis revved her engine and disappeared in a mushroom cloud of black smoke.

Hazel bent down. All the broken cookies and fortunes had disappeared except for one crumpled slip of paper. She picked it up and read, "You will see yourself reflected, and you will have reason to despair."

"Fantastic," Leo grumbled. "Let's go see what that means."

I seemed to have been the only one not completely distraught after our chat with Nemesis. That's understandable.

"Who's Aunt Rosa?" Hazel asked.

"Long story," Leo murmured. "She abandoned me after my mom died, gave me to foster care."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well... what about you? What Nemesis said about your brother?"

Hazel blinked like she'd gotten salt in her eyes. "Nico... he found me in the Underworld. He brought me back to the mortal world and convinced the Romans at Camp Jupiter to accept me. I owe him for my second chance at life. If Nemesis is right, and Nico's in danger... I have to help him."

I patted her shoulder reassuringly. "We'll all help him, trust me. Nico's not my favorite person— and I'm definitely not his— but I care about the kid. What Nemesis said though, it has me puzzled. Six days to live? Rome getting destroyed? I'm not sure what she was talking about."

Hazel nodded slowly. Whatever she was thinking, she didn't share it.

As we climbed over a large boulder to get a better view, Hazel slipped. She grabbed Leo's hand, and I watched awkwardly as they ended up holding hands face to face.

I tried not to look at them. Something weird was going on and I wanted no part in it.

"When we were talking to Nemesis," Hazel said uneasily, "your hands... I saw flames."

"Yeah," he said. "It's a Hephaestus power. Usually I can keep it under control."

"Oh." She put one hand protectively over her denim shirt, like she was about to say the Pledge of Allegiance.

However she didn't exactly look afraid of him.

"So, the island," I said, coughing a bit to get them focused on our mission. They gazed over it with me, finally back in quest mode.

The opposite shore it was only a few hundred yards away. Between here and there were dunes and clumps of boulders, but nothing that looked like a reflecting pond.

Leo was looking, but he didn't look focused. I could see he was thinking. His eyes had pain.

I knew inked he was thinking about the ninth wheel Nemesis mentioned.

"Hey," I said, patting his shoulder. "You can't take what Nemesis said to heart."

He frowned. "What if it's true?"

"Nemesis is the goddess of revenge," I reminded him. "Maybe she's in our side, maybe not; but she exists to stir up resentment. She's just... just like Ethan. He was always so pessimistic."

Leo snorted. "And you dated the guy?"

I flushed red. "Just— the point is she wants to get under your skin. Don't let her. Please. She's probably just saying you'll get a super hot girl she's just not on the quest. Which isn't necessarily bad, probably means she's a hell of a lot more normal than we are. She doesn't mean you're undesirable or anything."

"Oh really?" He said bitterly.

"Leo. You're not ugly. You're decently good looking, and I don't say hot because one, Lit will get jealous, and two, you're like a brother to me and I'm not THAT Greek."

He snorted again, but a smile twitched at his lips.

"You're smart. Talented. You made us a perfect ship. We all walked into this quest with a significant other, I guess, but that doesn't mean you'll be alone for life. Your girl's probably just going to come in later."

He seemed to believe me, even just a bit. "Thanks Lydia..." he cleared his throat. "So uh, we should keep going. I wonder what Nemesis meant about finishing before dark."

Hazel glanced at the sun, which was just touching the horizon. "And who is the cursed boy she mentioned?"

Below us, a voice said, "Cursed boy she mentioned."

At first I saw no one. Then my eyes adjusted. I realized a young woman was standing only ten feet from the base of the boulder we were standing on. Her dress was a Greek style tunic the same color as the rocks. Her wispy hair was somewhere between brown and blonde and gray, so it blended with the dry grass. She wasn't invisible, exactly, but she was almost perfectly camouflaged until she moved. Even then, I had trouble focusing on her. Her face was pretty but not memorable. In fact, each time I blinked, I could hardly remember what she looked like, and I had to concentrate on finding her again.

"Hello," Hazel said. "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" The girl answered. Her voice sounded weary, like she was tired of answering that question.

We exchanged looks.

"Are you the cursed kid Nemesis mentioned?" Leo asked. "But you're a girl."

"You're a girl," the girl repeated.

"Excuse me?" Leo said.

"Excuse me," the girl said miserably.

"Oh!" I said suddenly. "Hold it— Echo!"

"Echo," the girl agreed. She shifted, her dress changing with the landscape. Her eyes were the color of the salt water. I tried to hone in on her features but couldn't.

"I don't remember the myth," Leo said quietly.

"You were cursed to repeat the last thing you heard?" Hazel asked.

"You heard," Echo replied.

"Poor thing," Hazel said. "If I remember right, a goddess did this?"

"A goddess did this," Echo confirmed.

Leo scratched his head. "But wasn't that thousands of years... oh. You're one of the mortals who came back through the Doors of Death. I really wish we could stop running into dead people."

"Leo!" I hissed, elbowing him.

"Dead people," Echo said, like she was chastising him.

Hazel had turned to stare at her feet.

"Uh... sorry," he murmured. "I didn't mean it that way."

"That way." Echo pointed toward the far shore of the island.

"You want to show us something?" I asked.

We went closer to Echo. She seemed more invisible the longer I looked at her.

"You sure you're real?" Leo asked. "I mean... flesh and blood?"

"Flesh and blood." She touched Leo's face, and he flinched.

"So you have to repeat everything?" He asked.

"Everything," she sighed.

Leo smiled. "That could be fun."

"Fun," she said unhappily.

"Leo," I said in a warning tone as he said, "Blue elephants."

"Blue elephants," Echo said quietly.

"Kiss me, you fool."

"You fool."

"Hey!"

"Hey!"

"Leo!" I snapped. "Don't tease her!"

"Don't tease her," Echo agreed.

"Okay, okay," he said, though he was clearly restraining himself from saying more.

"So what were you pointing at?" I said before he could chime anything in. "Do you need our help?"

"Help," Echo agreed emphatically. She gestured for us to follow and sprinted down the slope. I could only follow her progress by the movement of the grass and the shimmer of her dress as it changed to match the rocks.

"We'd better hurry," Hazel said. "Or we'll lose her."

We broke into a sprint.


	51. Leo Woos Psycho Nymphs

We found the problem (if you can call a mob of good looking girls a problem).

Nymphs are honestly very good looking.

Echo led us down into a grassy meadow shaped like a blast crater, with a small pond in the middle.

Gathered at the water'd edge were several dozen nymphs. Just like the ones at Camp Half Blood, they wore gossamer dresses, and had bare feet. They had elfish features and a slightly greenish tinge in their skin— kind of like Grover's girlfriend Juniper.

I didn't really understand what they were doing at first. I mean, they were all randomly crowded together in one spot, facing the pond and jostling for a better view. Several of them held up phone cameras, trying to get a shot over the heads of others. I didn't even know nymphs had access to phones. Were they staring at a dead body, or something?

The only time I can remember myself acting this desperate to look at something was when my class and I went to watch a brain surgery when I was a freshman in high school. After a lot of elbowing, I pushed to the front and that was when I decided I was going to become an illegal medical school student.

"What are they looking at?" Leo wondered as the nymphs bounced up and down, giggling excitedly.

"Looking at," Echo sighed.

"One way to find out." Hazel marched forward and began nudging her way through the crowd. "Excuse us. Pardon me."

"Hey!" One nymph complained. "We were here first!"

"Yeah." Another sniffed. "He won't be interested in you."

The second nymph had large red hearts painted on her cheeks— like ASB kids at football games do to pretend they have all this school pride. Over her dress, she wore a t shirt that read: OMG, I <3 N!!!!

I felt like throwing up when I saw that.

"We're here on demigod business," I said firmly, with a cheeky grin that suggested I didn't want to deal with her bullshit. "So make room. Thanks."

The nymphs grumbled, but they parted to reveal a young man kneeling at the edge of the pond, gazing intently at the water.

Leo and Hazel gawked at him, but I wasn't very impressed.

Sure, the guy was definitely good looking. He had a chiseled face with lips and eyes that were somewhere between feminine beautiful and masculine handsome— perfect for a bisexual person like me, except of course, a single bisexual person.

He had dark hair swept over his brow, and was built like a dancer— with long graceful arms and muscular legs, perfect posture, and an air of regal calm. He looked to be seventeen, but he could have also easily been twenty. I wasn't sure.

He wore a simple white t shirt and jeans, with a bow and quiver strapped to his back. The weapons obviously hadn't been used in awhile. The arrows were covered in dust. A spider had woven a web in the top of the bow.

As we edged closer, it became clear the guy's face was unusually golden. In the sunset, the light was bouncing off of a large flat sheet of what must have been Celestial bronze that lay at the bottom of the pond, washing the man's features in a warm glow. The guy seemed absolutely fascinated with his reflection in the metal.

But like I said, I wasn't impressed. The guy looked fit but it was clear he didn't do anything about it— or with it. And he was much too vain, judging from the fact he couldn't stop staring at himself.

Lit was about a thousand times more impressive, even with all the scars on his face and body.

Hazel inhaled sharply beside me. "He's gorgeous."

Around us, the nymphs squealed and clapped in agreement.

"He's decent," I muttered under my breath.

"I am," the young man murmured dreamily, his gaze still fixed on the water. At first I thought he was responding to me, but then he said "I am so gorgeous" and I rolled my eyes.

One of the nymphs showed us her iPhone screen. "His latest YouTube video got a million hits in like, an hour. I think I was half of those!" The other nymphs giggled.

"YouTube video?" I scoffed. "What does he do in the video, sing?"

"No, silly!" The nymph chided. "He used to be a prince, and a wonderful hunter and stuff. But that doesn't matter. Now he just.... well, look!" She showed me the video. It was exactly what we were seeing in real life— the guy staring at himself in the pond.

"Oh Christ," I scoffed. "He's not doing anything impressive. Now if he was showing brain tumor extraction methods, I'd be drooling."

The nymphs groaned, as if they didn't understand how I didn't share their feelings toward him.

"He is soooooo hot!" One nymph said, probably to distract them all from what I'd said. Her t shirt read: MRS. NARCISSUS.

"Narcissus?" Leo asked.

"Narcissus," Echo agreed sadly.

Dam, I'd forgotten she was there. It seemed none of the other nymphs had noticed her until then, either.

"Oh, not you again!" Mrs Narcissus tried to push Echo away, but she misjudged where the camouflaged girl was and ended up shoving several other nymphs.

"Leave her alone!" I snapped, my hand flying to my belt to hold Slasher's hilt.

"Leave her alone," Echo agreed sadly.

"You had your chance, Echo!" The nymph with the iPhone said, ignoring me. "He dumped you four thousand years ago! You are sooo not good enough for him."

"For him," Echo said bitterly.

"Wait." Hazel clearly was having trouble tearing her eyes away from Narcissus. But she managed, and looked at us. "What's going in here? Why did Echo bring us here?"

One nymph rolled her eyes. She was holding an autograph pen and a crumpled poster of Narcissus. "Echo was a nymph like us, a long time ago, but she was a total chatterbox! Gossiping, blah, blah, blah, all the time."

"I know!" Another nymph shrieked. "Like, who could stand that? Just the other day, I told Cleopeia— you know she lives in the boulder next to me?— I said: Stop gossiping or you'll end up like Echo. Cleopeia is such a big mouth! Did you hear what she said about that cloud nymph and the satyr?"

"Well she better not have said anything fucked up," I growled. "Mellie and Hedge are our friends."

The nymph who'd spoken flushed.

"Anyway," the nymph with the poster said, not having even heard what I said, "as punishment for blabbing, Hera cursed Echo so she could only repeat things, which was fine with us. But then Echo fell in love with our gorgeous guy, Narcissus— as if he would ever notice her."

"As if!" Said half a dozen others.

"Hera's bitchass at it again," I growled, which made Hazel turn scarlet. I forget she doesn't like the heavy sailor cursing. "You guys are just rude. Besides, he won't notice any of you!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Mrs Narcissus said, waving her hand dismissively. "The point is, now Echo's got some weird idea he needs saving. She should just go away."

"Go away," Echo growled back.

"I'm so glad Narcissus is alive again," said another nymph in a gray dress. She had the words NARCISSUS + LAIEA written up and down her arms in black marker. "He's like the best! And he's in my territory."

"Oh, stop it, Laiea," her friend said. "I'm the pond nymph. You're just the rock nymph."

"Well I'm the grass nymph!" Another protested.

"No, he obviously came here because he likes the wildflowers!" Another said.

"Those are mine!"

The whole mob began arguing while Narcissus stared at the lake, ignoring then.

"Good gods," I said, gritting my teeth. "Okay— okay— SHUT UP!"

They went silent immediately, much to my surprise.

"Good," I said. "Be quiet, because we need to ask Narcissus something."

The nymphs muttered something under their breaths then slowly settled down and went back to taking pictures.

Leo and I knelt on either side of Narcissus. Hazel stayed behind, still gawking at him.

"So, Narcissus," Leo said casually. "What's up?"

"Could you move?" Narcissus asked distractedly. "You're ruining the view."

I looked into the water. Leo and I's reflections rippled next to Narcissus's on the surface of the submerged bronze. Compared to Narcissus, we didn't look that great. Leo later said he looked like an underground troll compared to him.

But the most prevalent part of it all was that the thing in the pond shooting up a reflection was a sheet of hammered Celestial bronze, roughly circular, about five feet in diameter.

I honestly wasn't sure how it got in the pond in the first place, and I suspected Leo didn't either considering how we were both squinting at it in concentration. Celestial bronze did tend to fall onto the earth in strange places. Most of it was probably because Hephaestus would lose his temper when his projects turned out shitty and he would throw scraps into the mortal world.

This particular piece looked like it might have been meant as a shield, kind of like Thalia's shield Aegis. Clearly it hadn't turned out properly. This piece should be enough for Leo, Lit, and I to fix the ship as needed.

"Right, great view," Leo said, with a cheeky grin. "Happy to move, but if you're not using it, could I just take that sheet of bronze?"

"No," Narcissus said. "I love him. He's so gorgeous."

I gagged and looked at Leo, shaking my head.

The nymphs around us were swooning and nodding in agreement. Hazel seemed appalled. She wrinkled her nose as if she'd finally come to the conclusion that Narcissus smelled worse than he looked.

"Dude," I said, "you do realize it's you in the water, right? That's a little self absorbed."

"I am so great," Narcissus sighed. He stretched out a hand longingly to touch the water, but held back. "No, I can't make ripples. That ruins the image. Wow... I am so great."

"You're really not," I said. "You're pretty useless."

Narcissus pretended not to hear.

"Okay," Leo said, looking determined. "Look, if I took the bronze, you could still see yourself in the water. Or here..." he reached into his tool belt and pulled out a simple mirror the size of a monocle. "I'll trade you."

Narcissus took the mirror, reluctantly, and admired himself. "Even you carry a picture of me? I don't blame you. I am gorgeous. Thank you." He set the mirror down and returned his attention to the pond. "But I already have a much better image. The color flatters me, don't you think?"

"Oh, gods, yes!" A nymph screamed. "Marry me, Narcissus!"

"No, me!" Another cried.

"Would you sign my poster?"

"No, sign my shirt!"

"No, sign my forehead!"

"No, sign my—"

"FOR GODS SAKE SHUT UP!" I snapped.

"Shut up," Echo agreed.

Echo was between Narcissus and I, waving her hand in front of his face as if trying to break his concentration. Narcissus didn't even blink.

The nymph fan club trued to shove Hazel out of the way, but she drew her cavalry sword and forced them back. "Snap out of it!" She yelled.

"He won't sign your sword," the poster nymph complained.

"He won't marry you," said the iPhone girl.

"We would never want to marry him!" I hissed. "He's completely useless and talentless!"

"Well, you can't take his bronze mirror!" Mrs Narcissus snapped.

"You're all ridiculous!" Hazel said. "He's so full of himself! How can you possibly like him?"

"Like him," Echo sighed, still waving her hand in front of his face.

"I am so hot," Narcissus said sympathetically.

"Narcissus, listen." Hazel kept her sword at the ready. "Echo brought us here to help you. Didn't you, Echo?"

"Echo," said Echo.

"Who?" Narcissus asked.

"The only girl who cares what happens to you, apparently," Hazel said. "Do you remember dying?"

Narcissus frowned. "I...no. That can't be right. I am much too important to die."

"Don't be absurd," I said. "Everyone dies. No mortals or demigods are exempt from that— none of us are important enough to live forever. Stop flattering yourself. You died staring at yourself. Nemesis cursed you because you were a godsdamn heartbreaker. Your punishment was to fall in love with your own reflection."

"I love me so, so much," Narcissus agreed.

"You finally died," Hazel said. "I don't know which version is true— you either drowned yourself or turned into a flower hanging over the water or— Echo, which is it?"

"Which is it?" She said hopelessly.

"It doesn't matter," Leo said, standing up. "The point is you're alive again— you have a second chance. That's what Nemesis was telling us. You can get up, and get on with your life. Echo is trying to save you. Or you can stay here and stare at yourself until you die again."

"Stay here!" All the nymphs screamed.

"Marry me before you die!" Another squeaked.

Narcissus shook his head. "You just want my reflection. I don't blame you, but you can't have it. I belong to me."

Hazel sighed in exasperation. Behind her, the sun was sinking fast. "Leo, Lydia, can we talk for a minute?"

I nodded. "Excuse us. Echo, want to come with?"

"Come with," Echo confirmed.

The nymphs clustered around Narcissus again and began recording new videos and taking more photos.

"Okay," Hazel said once we were out of earshot. "Nemesis was right. Some demigods can't change their nature. Narcissus is going to stay there until he dies again."

"Well, we can't let that happen," I said.

"Can't let that happen," Echo agreed.

"We need that bronze," Leo said. "If we take it away, it might give Narcissus a reason to snap out of it. Echo could have a chance to save him."

"A chance to save him," Echo said gratefully.

Hazel stabbed her sword in the sand. "It could also make several dozen nymphs very angry with us. And Narcissus might still know how to shoot his bow."

"Then lets make the best plan we can," I said. "Hazel— your power with precious metal— can you just detect it or can you actually summon it to you?"

She frowned. "Sometimes I can summon it. I've never tried with a piece of Celestial bronze that big before. I might be able to draw it to me through the earth, but I'd have to be fairly close. It would take a lot of concentration and it wouldn't be fast."

"Be fast," Echo warned.

"All right," I said. "We'll need to try something risky. Hazel, how about you summon the bronze from right here? Make it sink through the sand and tunnel over to you, then grab it and run."

"But Narcissus is looking at it all the time," Hazel said.

"Leo, Echo, and I will try and distract him," I said. "Not sure how yet, but if we do, and Hazel gets the Celestial bronze, I can teleport us straight back to the ship once we catch her."

"I have an idea," Leo said. He summoned some breath mints and a pair of welding goggles from his tool belt.

He had me roll up the sleeved of his shirt, and used some machine oil to grease back his hair. He stuck a wrench in his back pocket and then had Hazel draw a tattoo on his biceps with a marker: HOT STUFF, with a skull and crossbones.

"What in the world are you thinking?" Hazel said, sounding pretty flustered.

"I try not to think," Leo admitted. "It interferes with being nuts. Just concentrate on moving that Celestial bronze. Lydia, I need you to pretend I'm Lit."

"Okay," I said, raising my eyebrows.

"Excellent," he said. "Echo, you ready?"

"Ready," she said.

Leo then strutted back toward the pond, looking more confident than I'd ever seen him before.

"Leo is the coolest!" He shouted.

"Leo is the coolest!" Echo shouted back.

"Yeah, baby, check me out!"

"I am!" I shrieked, trying to pretend it really was Lit. I grabbed his belt and pretended to be dragging him back towards me.

"Make way for the king!"

"The king!" Echo said.

"Narcissus is weak!"

"He's so weak compared to you!" I said, my body now dragging behind Leo's. Since he was taller than me, it didn't look to weird.

The crowd of nymphs scattered in surprise as Leo dragged me in and Echo trotted beside us. Leo shooed them away as if they were bothering him.

"No autographs, girls," he said. "I know you want some Leo time, but I'm way too cook. You better just hang around that ugly dweeb Narcissus. He's lame!"

"Lame!" Echo said with enthusiasm.

The nymphs muttered angrily.

"What are you talking about?" One demanded.

"You're lame," said another.

Leo adjusted his goggles and smiled. I scrambled up just as he flexed his biceps, and I pretended to faint. "Gods, you're so strong," I said. Echo held he and fanned my face. "So strong," she agreed.

"You know how ugly Narcissus is?" Leo asked the crowd. "He's so ugly, when he was born his mama thought he was a backward centaur— with a horse butt for a face."

Some of the nymphs gasped. Narcissus frowned, as though he was vaguely aware of a gnat buzzing around his head.

"You know why his bow has cobwebs?" Leo asked.

"No!" I said. "Tell me why, please!"

"He uses it to hunt for dates, but he can't find one!"

I laughed, and one of the nymphs did too. The others quickly elbowed her into silence.

Narcissus turned and scowled at Leo. "Who are you?"

"I'm the Super sized McShizzle, man!" Leo said. "I'm Leo Valdez, bad boy supreme. All the ladies love a bad boy."

"Yes!" I said, throwing myself onto him and kissing his cheek dramatically. "We love a bad boy!"

"We love a bad boy!" Echo said with a convincing squeal.

Leo took out a pen and autographed the arm of one of the nymphs. "Narcissus is a loser! He's so weak, he can't bench press a Kleenex. He's so lame, when you look up lame on Wikipedia, you get a picture of Narcissus— only the picture is so ugly, no one ever checks it out."

Narcissus knit his eyebrows. His face was turning from bronze to salmon pink. For the moment, he'd totally forgotten about the pond, and I could see the sheet of bronze sinking into the sand.

"What are you talking about?" Narcissus demanded. "I am amazing. Everyone knows this."

"No you're not, pretty boy!" I hissed. "You're only amazing at being a lame ass."

"If I was as suck as you, I'd drown myself," Leo said. "Oh wait, you already did."

I laughed, covering my mouth to suppress a snort. Another nymph giggled. Then another.

Narcissus growled, which did make him look a little less handsome. Meanwhile, Leo beamed and wiggled his eyebrows over his goggles and spread his hands, gesturing for applause.

"That's right!" He said triumphantly. "Team Leo for the win!"

"Team Leo for the win!" Echo shouted. She'd wriggled into the mob of nymphs, and because she was so hard to see, the nymphs apparently thought the voice came from one of their own.

"Oh my god, I am so awesome!" Leo bellowed.

"He's so awesome!" I agreed.

"So awesome!" Echo yelled back.

"He is funny," a nymph ventured.

"And cute, in a scrawny way," another said.

"Scrawny?" Leo asked. "Baby, I invented scrawny. Scrawny is the new sizzling hot. And I GOT the scrawny. Narcissus? He's such a loser even the Underworld didn't want him. He couldn't get the ghost girls to date him."

"Ewww," said a nymph.

"Ewww!" Echo agreed.

"Stop!" Narcissus got to his feet. "This is not right! This person is obviously not awesome, so he must be..." he struggled for the right words. It had probably been a long time since he'd talked about anything other than himself. "He must be tricking us."

Ok, so apparently Narcissus wasn't completely stupid. Realization dawned on his face.

He whipped around to face the pond. "The bronze mirror is gone! My reflection! Give it back to me!"

"Team Leo!" One of the nymphs squealed. But the others returned their attention to Narcissus.

"I'm the beautiful one!" Narcissus insisted. "He's stolen my mirror, and I'm going to leave unless we get it back!"

The girls gasped. One pointed. "There!"

Hazel was at the top of the crater, running away as fast as she could while lugging a large sheet of bronze.

"Get it back!" Cried a nymph.

Probably against her will, Echo muttered, "Get it back."

"Yes!" Narcissus unslung his bow and grabbed an arrow from his dusty quiver. "The first one who gets the bronze, I will like you almost as much as I like me. I might even kiss you, right after I kiss my reflection!"

"Oh my gods!" The nymphs screamed.

"And kill those demigods!" Narcissus added, glaring very handsomely at Leo. "They are not as cool as me!"

Leo, Echo, and I bolted away. We caught up to Hazel quickly, and I yanked up the other half of the Celestial bronze sheet.

Narcissus was nocking an arrow, but it was so old and brittle it broke into splinters. "Ow!" He yelled. "My manicure!"

The nymphs were thankfully slow since they were lugging posters and other merchandise with him. And after Narcissus had made it a contest, they didn't work together very well.

"Hurry!" Leo yelled. "Narcissus is starting to pick sticks up the ground to use as arrows!"

I whipped my head back and cursed. He had grabbed a stick perfect to use for an arrow and was preparing it.

"Okay," I said breathlessly. "As soon as we get up on the hill we'll link hands and I'll teleport us to— AHHH!"

I tripped, gasping as I held my side. Leo and Hazel almost fell down with me.

"Oh gods!" Hazel cried. "The arrow!"

Apparently Narcissus could still shoot even after so many years of not doing it.

I wheezed as I tried to sit up, and cried out in pain. I could feel the arrow lodged deep inside me. "C-Call Arion, Hazel," I coughed. "I can't... can't..."

"Already did!" She said, her eyes wide.

Leo yanked me up, and Echo helped Hazel the best she could with the Celestial bronze.

We raced for the beach. I felt completely nauseous as I saw the edge of the water approaching. The Argo II was in the distance. There was no way to get there unless Arion showed up— it was too far to swim.

What's more, I'd slowed us down. Now the mob was coming over the dunes, holding a wide assortment of weapons— rocks, squirt guns, and even some clubs. Narcissus was in the lead, holding his bow like a band major's baton, his quiver now filled with fresh sticks like the one stuck inside me.

"Oh man," Leo muttered, summoning fire in his free hand and holding me up with the other. "Straight up fighting isn't my thing."

"Hold the Celestial bronze and Lydia!" Hazel said, drawing her sword. "Get behind me!"

"Get behind me!" Echo repeated. She dove in front of Leo and I as if to shield us.

"Echo?" Leo said. "You're one brave nymph."

"Brave nymph?" She inquired.

"I'm proud to have you on Team Leo," he said. "If we survive this, you should forget Narcissus."

"Forget Narcissus?" She said uncertainly.

"You're way too good for him."

I coughed, my hand shaky as I held my side. The nymphs surrounded us in a semicircle.

"Trickery!" Narcissus said. "They don't love me, girls! We all love me, don't we?"

"Yes!" The girls screamed, except for one confused nymph in a yellow dress who squeaked, "Team Leo!"

"Kill them!" Narcissus ordered.

The nymphs surged forward, but the sand in front of them exploded. Arion raced out of nowhere, circling the mob so quickly he created a sandstorm, showering the nymphs in white lime, spraying their eyes.

"I love this horse!" Leo said.

The nymphs collapsed, coughing and gagging. Narcissus stumbled around blindly, swinging his bow like he was trying to hit a piñata. Hazel climbed into the saddle and Leo lifted me quickly. I moaned in pain and leaned on Hazel. Leo then passed Hazel the Celestial bronze sheet.

"We can't leave Echo!" Leo said, refusing to climb onto Arion just yet.

"Leave Echo," the nymph repeated.

"Why?" Leo asked. "You don't think you can save Narcissus..."

"Save Narcissus," Echo said confidently. She then kissed Leo on the cheek and pushed him gently away.

"Leo, come on!" Hazel called, struggling to hold me up. I did my best to sit upright but my entire abdomen felt like it was on fire.

The other nymphs were starting to recover. They wiped the lime out of their eyes, which were now glowing green with anger.

Leo hopped onto Arion, though reluctantly, and held me up as the horse took off across the water, the nymphs and Narcissus screaming furiously behind us.


	52. We Discuss Impending Doom

I was nearly unconscious when we arrived on the deck of the Argo II.

"HELP!" Leo yelled. "HELP!"

I moaned in pain as they pulled me off of Arion, who cursed a storm for no apparent reason. "Shut up," I begged as Hazel and Leo struggled to hold me up.

It was Lit who came out first, his face, hair, and arms completely covered in grease from working on the ship.

"LYDIA!" He yanked me out of Leo's arms and I cried out in pain. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO HER?"

"Arrow," I coughed, smacking his chest with all my might. "Explain... later.... help.... now.."

Thankfully, Lit got the memo and didn't murder Leo before he helped me.

He carried me full speed to where Piper still sat next to Jason's bed, except he was sitting up now.

"Glad you're better, Grace, but you need to move," Lit said, laying me on my stomach on his bed. Piper yanked Jason off, and Lit cursed, pressing his hand gently on my lower back around where the arrow was stuck.

"Ow," I moaned. "Don't touch me there— it all hurts—"

"I'm sorry!" Lit said frantically. "You're the doctor here, not me!"

Good gods, I can't even afford to faint 'cause he might grow an aneurysm.

"Nectar and ambrosia," I said, coughing more. "Then... pull the arrow out as straight as you can... I don't think it pierced any vital organs. It's on my left side... below where my stomach should be. If anything it hit an intestine, it's too near the side to have pierced my uterus or an ovary so just pull it out as straight as you can and let the ambrosia and nectar do their jobs."

"O-Okay," Lit said. Piper then pushed him out of the way (he seemed to be panicking too much). He ended up feeding me ambrosia squares while she skillfully worked to extract the arrow. I cried out in pain a few times between mouthfuls, which was probably the most unappealing look ever, but Lit continued to stare at my face and stroke my hair.

I'm surprised he didn't faint, considering how freaked out he was.

"It's out," Piper chirped.

"Thanks," I said weakly. "At least—"

The door burst open, and Leo and Hazel ran in.

"I can explain!" Leo cried.

"Gods of Olympus!" Piper cried. "You'd better! What— what the hell happened to you?"

She, Jason, and Lit were noticing how Leo's hair was greased back, he had lipstick marks on his cheek, and tattoos all over his arms and shirt that read 'Hot Stuff,' 'Bad Boy,' and 'Team Leo.'

"Long story," Leo said sheepishly. "Hey Jason, glad you're better. I'll be in the engine room." He ran off with the Ziploc bag of lime and the sheet of bronze.

"VALDEZ!" Lit yelled. "COME AND EXPLAIN TO ME WHY MY GIRLFRIEND HAD A FUCKING ARROW IN HER BACK!"

Hazel flinched. "Erm— it wasn't Leo's fault. We met Narcissus and a bunch of crazy nymphs and Nemesis, the revenge goddess. Narcissus may have shot—"

"He did shoot me," I said, breathing heavily as the ambrosia worked its way to my abdomen.

"He shot Lydia as we were running away," she finished.

Jason sighed. "I miss all the fun."

"You call getting shot fun?" I hissed, scowling at him. "Coincidentally, Narcissus reopened the scar I have from getting impaled by Kronos's scythe, so no, it wasn't fun."

"Sorry," Jason said, wincing sheepishly.

On the deck above, something went THUMP as if a heavy creature had landed.

Next thing we knew, Annabeth and Percy came running down the hall. Percy was toting a steaming five gallon plastic bucket that smelled horrible. Annabeth had a patch of black sticky stuff in her hair. Percy's shirt was covered in it.

"Roofing tar?" Piper guessed.

Frank stumbled up behind them, which made the hallway pretty jam packed with demigods. Frank had a big smear of the black sludge down his face.

"Ran into some tar monsters," Annabeth said. "Glad you're awake, Jason." She seemed to just notice me. "Lydia Evelyn Castellan what in Hades happened to you?"

"I got shot, it's no big deal," I said, giving her a thumbs up.

"You got shot and it isn't a big deal?"

"I've had worse happen to me!" I protested.

"That's true," Percy said helpfully. "Last time when she got impaled with Kronos's scythe she was having seizures and calling for her mom. Man, Ethan was freaking out so—"

He stopped, looking at Lit. I sighed. "Um, nevermind," Percy said quickly.

"Where's Leo?" Annabeth asked.

"Engine room," Hazel said.

Suddenly the entire ship listed to port. The demigods stumbled. Percy almost spilled his bucket of tar.

"Uh, what was that?" He demanded.

"Oh, that's probably our fault," I said.

"How?" He said in disbelief.

"We may have angered the nymphs who live in this lake," Hazel said, looking embarrassed. "Like... all of them."

"Great." Percy handed the bucket of tar to Frank and Annabeth. "You guys help Leo. I'll hold off the water spirits as long as I can."

"On it!" Frank promised.

The three of them ran off, leaving Hazel at the cabin door. The ship listed again, and Hazel hugged her stomach like she was going to be sick.

"I'll just..." she swallowed, pointed weakly down the passageway, and ran off.

Lit, Jason, Piper, and I stayed below as the ship rocked back and forth.

"I feel pretty useless," Lit mused as waves crashed against the hull, angry voices being heard above deck. I could distinctly hear Percy and Coach Hedge shouting at the lake.

"Yeah, I definitely don't feel very heroic right now," I said.

"Me neither," Piper said.

"Well, Piper and Lit are the nurses," Jason offered. "Lydia and I are out of commission for awhile as it is. We aren't useless— none of us."

"Thanks, Grace," Lit said.

"Why do you insist on calling everyone but Lydia by their last name?"

"Huh? I call Piper and Annabeth by their first names. I call you Jason sometimes."

"He's used to it from our swordfighting classes," I said, laughing— though it hurt. "We call every kid by their last name."

"Well I don't care about other people it's just weird being called 'Grace' cause that's kind of a girl's name."

"I'm gonna call him Grace from now on," Piper said with a mischievous grin.

Lit and Piper high fived, and Jason gave me an exhausted look.

After what seemed like hours of Hazel moaning miserably in her cabin, Leo, Annabeth, and Frank making loud noises in the engine room, and Festus breathing fire, the engine began to hum and the ship lifted into the air (once the oars stopped creaking and groaning).

The rocking and shaking stopped. The ship became quiet except for the drone of machinery. Finally Leo emerged from the engine room, caked in sweat, lime dust, and tar. His T shirt looked like it had been caught in an escalator and chewed to shreds. The TEAM LEO on his chest now read: AM LEO. But he grinned like a madman and announced that they were safely under way.

"Meeting in the mess hall, one hour," he said. "Crazy day, huh?"

Once I was better, Piper helped me shower (which thankfully, she wasn't all squeamish about) and Lit helped Jason shower (as he was still a bit disoriented). The others went and cleaned up too, and once we were all good, Coach Hedge took the helm so we could gather for dinner.

It was the first time we'd all sat down together— just the eight of us. I have to admit I was very excited, it was our first little powwow as Prophecy people, or whatever you want to call it.

Of course this also reminded me of the fact that the Prophecy of Eight was unfolding at last. There would be no more helping Leo finish the ship. No more easy days at Camp just teaching sword fighting or having midnight walks on the beach with Lit.

Now we were underway. Some of us had already gotten our first injuries of the mission, and we had a bunch of furious Romans behind us, and had only the ancient lands ahead. The giants would be waiting, Gaea was rising, and unless we succeeded on the quest, the world would be destroyed.

I think the others must've felt that same thing too. The tension in the mess hall was like an electrical storm brewing (which of course was totally possible considering Percy and Jason'd powers were merged at last). In an awkward moment, both boys tried to sit in the same chair at the head of the table. Sparks literally flew from Jason's hands. After a brief silent standoff, like they were both thinking 'seriously, dude?' they ceded the chair to Annabeth and sat on opposite ends of the table beside her. Annabeth insisted I sit at the opposite head of the table (I was truly honored).

We all compared notes about what'd happened on our quests. Unfortunately, not even Leo, Hazel, and I's ridiculous story about tricking Narcissus was enough to cheer them up.

I could tell Lit and Percy were wanting to say something when I talked about our chat with Nemesis.

"So, where to now?" Leo asked with a mouthful of pizza. "I did a quick repair job to get us out of the lake, but there's still a lot of damage. We should really put down again and fix things right before we head across the Atlantic."

Percy, who was eating a completely blue pie (this confused everyone), spoke up. "We need to put some distance between us and Camp Jupiter. Frank spotted some eagles over Salt Lake City, we figure the Romans aren't far behind us."

That didn't improve around the table.

"I don't suppose we should go back and try to reason with the Romans?" Piper offered. "Maybe— maybe I didn't try hard enough with the charmspeak."

Jason tool her hand. "It wasn't your fault, Pipes. Or Leo's," he added quickly. "Whatever happened, it was Gaea's doing, to drive the two camps apart."

"Maybe if we could explain that, though—" Piper began.

"With no proof?" Annabeth asked. "And no idea what really happened? I appreciate what you're saying, Piper. I don't want the Romans on our bad side, but until we understand what Gaea's up to, going back is suicide."

"I think I'm close to figuring out what minions of hers might be causing this," Lit said, his brows furrowed in concentration. He looked really attractive when he did that. "But even if I could prove that they were what caused this, it might not work. That scrawny blonde kid won't hear any of us out."

"Exactly," Hazel agreed. She still looked a little queasy from seasickness, but she was trying to eat a few saltine crackers. The rim of her plate was embedded with rubies, and I was pretty sure they must have appeared because she was so nervous. "Octavian definitely won't listen. Reyna would, but with him there it won't work. The Romans have honor to think about. They've been attacked. They'll shoot first and ask questions post hac."

"You're right," Piper decided. "We have to keep going. Not just because of the Romans. We have to hurry."

"Yes," I said. "Nemesis said we only have six days until Nico dies and Rome is destroyed. And we are NOT letting either of those things happen."

"Wait." Jason frowned. "You mean Rome Rome, not New Rome?"

"I'n pretty sure," I said. "Even so it isn't much time so we need to book it."

"Why six days, though?" Percy wondered. "And how are they going to destroy Rome?"

"There's more," Piper blurted out. When we all looked at her, her cheeks reddened. "I've been seeing some things in my knife."

Frank froze with a forkful of spaghetti halfway to his mouth. "Things such as...?"

"They don't really make sense," Piper said, "just garbled images, but I saw two giants, dressed alike. Maybe twins."

"Twins," I murmured. "Didn't Ella's prophecy say something about twins? Maybe if we can figure out those lines, it might help."

"Wisdom's daughter walks alone," Percy said. "The Mark of Athena burns through Rome. Annabeth, that's got to mean you. Juno told me... well, she said you had a hard task ahead of you in Rome. She said she doubted you could do it. But I know she's wrong."

Annabeth took a long breath. "Reyna was about to tell me something right before the ship fired on us. She said there was an old legend among Roman praetors— something that had to do with Athena. She said it might be the reason Greeks and Romans could never get along."

Leo, Hazel, and I exchanged nervous looks.

"Nemesis mentioned something similar," Leo said. "She talked about an old score that had to be settled."

"The one thing that might bring the gods' two natures into harmony," Hazel recalled.

"'An old wrong finally avenged,'" I mused.

Percy drew a frowny face in his blue whipped cream. "I was only a praetor for about two hours. Jason, have you ever heard a legend like that?"

"I uh... I'm not sure," he said. "I'll give it some thought."

Percy narrowed his eyes. "You're not sure?"

"He said he's not sure," I said, a bit harshly. Percy was making Jason more nervous, I could tell. "Now, let's discuss the other lines."

"Twins snuff out the angel's breath, Who holds the key to endless death," Hazel said.

"Giants' bane stands gold and pale," Frank added, "Won through pain from a woven jail."

"Giants' bane," Leo said. "Anything that's a giants' bane is good for us, right? That's probably what we need to find. If it can help the gods get their schizophrenic act together, that's good."

"Coincidentally, we can't kill the giants without the help of the gods," Lit said. "But wait— Percy, Frank, Hazel— I thought you said you guys killed Alcyoneus without a god's help. I'd heard of the other giants when I worked with Gaea, but never Alcyoneus."

"He was a special case," Frank said. "He was only immortal in the territory where he was reborn— Alaska. But not in Canada. I wish I could kill all the giants by dragging them across the border from Alaska into Canada, but..." He shrugged. "Lit's right, we need the gods' help."

"Twins snuff out the angel's breath," I mumbled. "We'll figure that out. That line is key, I know it. But for now we need to repair the ship."

"Yep," Leo agreed. "We'll have to put down in the morning to finish repairs."

"Someplace close to a city," Annabeth suggested, "in case we need supplies. But somewhere out of the way, so the Romans will have trouble finding us. Any ideas?"

"Well," Piper ventured, "how do you guys feel about Kansas?"

____________

I had a lot of trouble falling asleep.

Coach Hedge spent the first hour after curfew doing his nightly duty, walking up and down the passageway yelling, "Lights out! Settle down! Try to sneak out, and I'll smack you back to Long Island!"

He banged his baseball bat against a cabin door whenever he heard a noise, shouting at everyone to go to sleep, which made it pretty impossible for us to sleep.

After awhile when I realized I wouldn't be falling asleep anytime soon, I turned on the lights and went to drape a thick, black curtain over the door so that the light wouldn't leak into the hallway.

I was up most of the night reading books, and reviewing my annotations from when I'd taken the MCAT a few years ago. I hummed, hoping it'd make me tired.

No such luck.

I jogged back and forth in my cabin, making sure my legs still worked proper. After the twentieth lap you'd have expected me to be tired, but I wasn't.

It must have been about one in the morning when I collapsed onto my bed and groaned, kicking my legs up in the air.

Why did sleep decide it wouldn't come to me?

There was a knock on my door.

"I can't sleep, Hedge," I groaned, covering my face.

"Since when do you call me Hedge? Hurry up and open the door before he catches me."

I sat up immediately and threw open the door, yanking Lit in past the curtain and closed the door as quickly and quietly as I could.

"Can't sleep either," he said. "I've been doing drills with dummies for the past three hours."

"I can tell," I said, seeing he was covered in sweat. "Go clean up or something I'm not kissing you like that."

"That's not fair," he whined, wrapping his arms around me.

"Ew," I said, scrunching up my face as he kissed me. But after three kisses I gave in, cupping his (very sweaty) face in my hands and kissing him back.

"I don't know if I can risk going all the way back to my cabin," he whispered dramatically in my ear.

"You're just inviting yourself to my bed because it's more comfortable. I TOLD you to tell Leo you wanted a fluffier mattress but no, you had to get all shy and keep quiet."

"Hey, you don't get to judge, you weren't brave enough to go tell him that the showerhead in your room made the water hit you too hard, and who had to change that for you? Me."

Okay, so I was defeated. I groaned and leaned into his chest. He rubbed my back, laughing triumphantly.

"Besides," he said, "why would I get my mattress fixed when I can just come and share yours? It's a double win. Comfy mattress and a chance to be a little spoon."

PSA: Lit is a whole little spoon. He won't admit it in front of other people, but he totally is. It's sort of weird since he's so much taller than me but he loves it, so I comply.

"You're ridiculous," I said, leading him over to my bed and laying us down, turning off the light.

"If Hedge catches us we'll be dead so try not to snore," I said, wrapping my arms around him.

"You're the one who snores loud."

"No I don't! I just— I breathe loud."

"Breathe loud... snore loud... potato, potato, tomato, tomato."

"Shut up!" I smacked his arm, and he laughed, flipping around abruptly to pin me under him and tickle me.

"Lit—" I gasped, trying to push him off. "Stop— ah— stop tickling— me—"

"Why should I?" He said, his fingers tracing over my sides and making me squirm.

"Coach Hedge will hear me laughing—"

"Then stop laughing—"

"I-I can't— OUCH—"

"Oops." He blushed and rubbed my head as I slammed it against the headboard.

"I'll sue you for that," I whined, patting my head.

"Sorry, love." He kissed my cheek, then my lips.

I pouted and curled up. This time, he decided to be the big spoon, bringing me into his arms.

"So, it started," I said quietly, feeling his breath against my ear.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking," he said. "How do you feel?"

"Really worried. I don't know... I have a weird, bad feeling about this. Is that normal? I mean, this is probably the hardest quest I'll ever go on... hopefully."

"Well it's normal for a demigod, yes. I completely understand where you're coming from. I'm really worried too. But hey, there are nine of us, right? And of course, Coach Hedge."

"You're my favorite person," I mused, smirking even though he wouldn't be able to see my face.

"Aw, that's sweet, but I was thinking Percy was my favorite. He's really cool and collected and—"

"If you feel that way, why don't you go date him then, hmm?"

"Please, darling, I don't go for taken men. Or women, for the record."

"It's almost as if we're not dating."

"We are. I know we are. I mean, I'm the one who asked you out, remember? I paid for half the dates!"

"No you didn't, we split the check like, every time!"

"Ah, yes, now I remember, because you insisted you were independent. Okay, loser, you didn't get free food on many occasions, so you played yourself."

"Hey!" I whined. "I didn't want you spending all that money on me!"

"Lydia, babe, don't be ridiculous. It's fine, I like spending money on you, you're my girlfriend, what do you expect?"

"Well, I dunno, I've never liked when people do that. It makes me feel like a burden."

"You're not a burden, just my super hot girlfriend who I want to spoil with gifts and kisses."

"Gods, Lit, you've overdone it, though."

"What? How?!"

"You've turned me into a little attention hog?"

Even though I couldn't see his face I knew he wiggled his eyebrows. "Mission accomplished."

"It's annoying," I pouted. "Now I constantly need you to acknowledge my existence."

"So? I'd be a fool if I didn't do that, so does it matter?"

"Yes! Because now all I want is to constantly be noticed by you!"

"Ah, that reminds me of how irritated you were on Christmas when I ignored you the morning of our date. Really, you just wanted my full attention, huh?"

I blushed. "You made me an attention hog. This is YOUR doing."

"And I don't regret it! It's fun to see your pretty eyes begging me for attention."

"You've conditioned me, and it's bad."

We went silent, and laughed.

"I love you, Lydia Evelyn Castellan," he whispered, nuzzling his face in my neck.

I felt myself tense.   
  


" _I love you, Lydia Evelyn Castellan," Ethan said softly, caressing my forehead as I shivered. I was laying on a hospital bed inside the Plaza Hotel, after I'd been impaled by Kronos's scythe. "I've loved you for a long time now. And I screwed up. I know I did. But I do, love you. When this is over... I swear on the River Styx I'll abandon Kronos and his army and I will come back to Camp with you._ "  
  


I faltered, and he noticed.

"I'm sorry I say it so much," he said quietly. "I know it makes you anxious."

"No, no, it's fine," I said quickly. "I have to get over it."

"No, you shouldn't have to. You're entitled to feel how you want to feel. I'll tone it down."

"Lit, you don't have—"

He pressed his finger over my mouth.

"Shh," he said. "Hear me out."

"Fine," I said, sighing.

"Lydia, you have every right to be iffy about all this. You shouldn't feel you have to respond to me right away, just like you shouldn't feel you have to suppress your feelings for Ethan. Babe, I get it. Really, I do. Love is a difficult topic. I respect that. And I don't want you to feel like you have to tolerate me saying it just because I want to. Because if you don't feel it, that's that and I don't care for you any less because of it. If it's making you uncomfortable for me to say it, all you gotta do is say the word and I'll tone it down. Mind you, I'm still going to constantly be thinking about how in love with you I am, but that doesn't mean I need to make you feel weird by saying it so often."

I felt the pressure in my chest alleviate. I let out a deep breath, turning around to face him.

"Thank you," I whispered. "Just... a little bit. I feel bad that you're saying it and I don't reciprocate. I do really, really care about you but putting it into words is so difficult. I feel it. I do, I'm sure I do. I just... I don't want to jinx it."

"They didn't die because you said it, you know."

"I know, but it feels like they did."

"I'm not leaving." He cupped my face in his hands. "I'm not going to leave you. I'll be honored the day you tell me, of course, but even now I know you care about me, and that's enough. I don't need all the sappy stuff other people like, I just need you, and for you to be happy with our relationship."

I blushed, caressing his face. My fingers delicately ran over his scars, and I leaned up to kiss him firmly.

"Thank you," I whispered. "I care a lot, lot, lot about you."

"And I care an infinite amount about you. Now, why don't we try and get some sleep?"

"Yes please." I curled up in his chest and he rubbed my back.

I wouldn't mind staying like this forever.

I love him.

I just don't know how to put it into words.


	53. I'm The Only Person Who Still Likes Blood

The breakfast bell rang, and I woke up immediately.

Unfortunately (well, not REALLY unfortunately), Lit had me wrapped in a very tight embrace that made it pretty impossible for me to escape his arms.

"Lit," I mumbled, poking his arm. "Lit. Hey— Lit."

He just kept snoring, and hugged me tighter.

I squeaked. "Lit— we need— to get up—"

There was a loud knock on my door. "Yo, Lydia!" It was Leo. "We're landing!"

"I-I'm trying to get up!" I squeaked, still trying to wiggle out of Lit's arms.

Leo of course, took this as a cue to poke his head in.

"Woah!" He said. "Didn't need to see that!"

"We're not doing anything!" I hissed. Thankfully, the noise made Lit wake up, and he groaned as he let go of me.

"That's no fair, how come you guys get to share a bed?" Leo said.

"We're not allowed to, we just did, so don't be a snitch," I mumbled as I got up.

"Okay, sure," he said, smirking as Lit struggled to sit up. He seemed to have fallen into a really deep sleep.

"Wake up," I said, patting his head.

"Mmm... five more minutes."

"No more minutes for you, you were suffocating me."

"So is this the first time you guys fall asleep together?" Leo asked.

I thought about it. "Actually, yeah. Usually we cuddle, one of us falls asleep, and the other heads back to their bed."

"It was nice," Lit said pleasantly, smiling like a kid on Christmas day as he rolled out of the bed.

"Not for her, apparently, you had her in a sort of chokehold."

"More of a really passionate hug," I said, noticing Lit looked guilty.

"Anyway," Leo said. "We're setting down a few miles outside Topeka, as Piper requested. I'll see you guys in the dining hall."

"Thanks, Leo," I said, waving as he walked out.

"I'm sorry," Lit said immediately. "I didn't know I was suffocating you."

"It's okay," I replied. "I'm not dead, so don't worry."

"Alright." He kissed my cheek. "See you at breakfast."

By the time I managed to get Lit out of my room (the dude wouldn't stop kissing me), showered, changed, and grabbed some breakfast for myself and Lit in the mess hall, I could hear the ship's landing gear extending.

I climbed the deck and joined the others as the Argo II settled in the middle of a field of sunflowers. The oars retracted. The gangplank lowered itself.

The morning air smelled of irrigation, warm plants, and fertilized earth.

"Mmm... my mother's blessed this place," Lit mumbled in my ear as he bear hugged me from behind.

"Yes, I can tell," I giggled.

"Want to see something cool?"

"Sure, why not?"

He waved one of his hands. A particular sunflower began to grow, its stem curving until it came over the deck, and stopped right in front of my face.

"It's very pretty," I said as he made the sunflower curl around our bodies, locking us how we were. I wasn't complaining.

"The plants here are really strong," he said. "They've got some very good soil to grow in. I'm betting if we walked further, I'd be able to grow non-native plants without a problem. Maybe make a dragonfruit take here."

"That'd be nice," I mused. "Dragonfruit is somewhat tasteless but good at the same time."

"I agree."

"So!"

I turned and saw Annabeth was trying to get out attention. I smiled, seeing Percy had his arm around her.

Annabeth looked at Lit and I. At first she seemed confused as to why a sunflower was wrapped around us, but then she seemed to remember who Lit's mother was and she shrugged it off.

"What's the plan?" She asked.

"I want to check out the highway," Piper said. "Find the sign that says Topeka 32."

Leo spun his Wii controller in a circle, and the sails lowered themselves. "We shouldn't be far," he said. "Festus and I calculated the landing as best as we could."

"Um, we're actually pretty far," I said.

"What's your internal GPS saying?" Leo asked.

"That Piper and whoever goes with her will have to walk about forty and a half miles."

Piper sighed. "It's fine, we'll figure out how to get there. We'll walk a bit to see where we are and decide once we know more."

"Alright," I replied. "What do you expect to find at the mile marker?"

Piper began to explain a vision she'd seen in her knife— a man in purple with a goblet.

"Purple shirt?" Jason asked. "Vines on his hat? Sounds like Bacchus:"

"Dionysus," Percy muttered. "If we came all the way to Kansas to see Mr. D—"

"Bacchus isn't so bad," Jason said. "I don't like his followers much...."

I smirked. Him, Piper, and Leo had run into some maenads at camp awhile ago and almost got torn to pieces.

"But the god himself is okay," Jason continued. "I did him a favor once up in the wine country."

"Napa?" I asked.

Jason nodded. "Around there."

Percy looked appalled. "Whatever, man. Maybe he's better on the Roman side. But why would he be hanging around in Kansas? Didn't Zeus order the gods to cease all contact with mortals?"

Frank grunted. He was wearing a blue tracksuit, like he might go for a jog in the sunflowers. "The gods haven't been very good at following that order," he noted. "Besides, if the gods have gone schizophrenic like Hazel said—"

"And Leo said," added Leo.

Frank scowled at him. "Then who knows what's going on with the Olympians? Could be some pretty bad stuff out there."

"Sounds dangerous!" Leo agreed cheerfully. "Well... you guys have fun. I've got to finish repairs on the hull. Coach Hedge is gonna work on the broken crossbows. And, uh, Annabeth, Lit, Lydia— I could really use your help. You guys understand the engineering and repair stuff."

Annabeth looked apologetically at Percy. "He's right. I should stay and help."

"I'll come back to you," he said, kissing her cheek. "Promise."

It made my heart warm.

Frank slid his bow off his shoulder and propped it against the rail. "I think I should turn into a crow or something and fly around, keep an eye out for Roman eagles."

"Why a crow?" Leo asked. "Man, if you can turn into a dragon why don't you just do that every time? That's the coolest."

Frank's face looked like it was being infused with cranberry juice. "That's like asking why you don't bench press your maximum weight every time you lift. Because it's hard, and you'd hurt yourself. Turning into a dragon isn't easy."

"Oh." Leo nodded. "I wouldn't know. I don't lift weights."

"Yeah. Well, maybe you should consider it, Mr—"

Hazel stepped between them.

"I'll help you, Frank," she said, shooting Leo an evil look. "I can summon Arion and scout below."

As they set off, I looked at Leo strangely. "Did you and Frank have a fight or something?" I inquired.

"Nah," he mumbled, brushing past Lit and I to the engine room.

Annabeth kissed Percy goodbye, and he set off with Piper and Jason. Lit untangled the sunflower from around us, and we went down behind Leo.

"Frank's intimidated by him," Lit noticed. "Because Hazel recognizes him and looks at him so weird."

"Oh please, Leo's not going to steal Hazel from him! It's irrational! Though, Leo is a bit mean to Frank."

"Yeah, big guy can't catch a break when he's got a body like that and a babyface," Lit said. "I don't know why he worries— he has to know he's just as worthy as anyone here."

"Well, except maybe Annabeth," I said. "She's the leader."

Lit smirked. "Okay, except Annabeth."

We spent the next hour helping Leo make any necessary repairs. Annabeth kept getting frustrated with some gears and Lit had to take over because she started cursing at them in Greek. We weren't the most coordinated team but we finished most of the repairs we needed by the time Piper came back.

.... with two unconscious demigods.

"Good Christ, what happened to them?" I shrieked as we carried Percy and Jason down to the sickbay.

"I'll explain in a bit," Piper said, struggling to carry Jason with Leo's help.

"Jeez, at this rate we're going to run out of ambrosia," Coach Hedge grumbled as he brought some over. "How come I never get invited on these violent trips?"

"Coach," Piper hissed. She set Jason down and turned to Leo. "Are we ready to sail?"

"Yeah, but—"

"Set course for Atlanta. I'll explain all this later."

"But... okay."

When we set Percy down, Annabeth mumbled to herself as she examined the horseshoe shaped dent on the back of Percy's head.

"What hit him?" I demanded as I tied up my hair and I pulled on some medical gloves. "He could be bleeding inside his skull because of this!"

"It was Blackjack," Piper said worriedly.

"Excuse me?" I said, a bit harshly.

Piper tried her best to explain that some spirits had possessed the boys and they'd started fighting. We listened intently (though me a little more because I needed to know what the hell kind of head injury Percy was dealing with).

While Coach Hedge applied some healing paste to Jason's head and Piper fed him ambrosia, I quickly did an evaluation of Percy's vitals.

"Miraculously, he doesn't seem to have a brain bleed, just a mild concussion," I mumbled. "Close your eyes."

They did, and I pressed my hand on his forehead. The tug of energy I felt was big, but I didn't let my body collapse until the last minute.

"Woah," Lit said as he caught me, pulling me to a standing position.

"Thanks," I said weakly. The boys then began to groan and wake up, and I sighed in relief.

"Now," I said once they were a little more conscious. "I want you both to tell me what you remember."

"Lydia they're exhausted," Piper said.

"I don't care," I replied. "Not really, anyway. We need to make sure they still have their ability to talk after those bonks on the head they took."

She seemed to understand. Within a few minutes we coaxed Jason and Percy into describing their memories— which they did in complete sentences. Their memories of the event were fuzzy, so Piper freshened them.

"Knocked out twice in two days," Jason muttered. "Some demigod." He glanced sheepishly at Percy. "Sorry, man. I didn't mean to blast you."

Percy's shirt was peppered with burn holes. His hair was even more disheveled than usual. Despite that, he managed a weak laugh, which was a good sign. "Not the first time. Your big sister got me good once at camp."

"Yeah, but I could have killed you."

"Or I could have killed you," Percy countered.

Jason shrugged. "If there'd been an ocean in Kansas, maybe."

Percy looked almost insulted. "I don't need an ocean—"

"Boys," Annabeth interrupted. "I'm sure you both would've been absolutely wonderful at killing each other. But right now, you need some rest."

"Food first," Percy said. "Please? And we really need to talk. Bacchus said some things that don't—"

"Bacchus?" Annabeth raised her hand. "Okay, fine. We need to talk. Mess hall. Ten minutes. I'll tell the others. And please, Percy... change your clothes. You smell like you've been run over by an electric horse."

It was up to Lit and I to help the boys bathe because Annabeth had to go get everything and everyone together and Piper ran off to tell Leo the brief things we'd discussed.

Let me say as a future doctor, I'm pretty good at not making this sort of stuff weird. Lit of course has no reaction either— he could be a good doctor if he wanted to be.

Once we got them cleaned up, Leo handed the helm to Coach Hedge and we gathered around the dining table.

Piper explained what'd happened at TOPEKA 32, which involved a certain conversation with Bacchus, a trap sprung by Gaea, and eidolons that had possessed the boys.

"Eidolons!" Lit cried. "That's what they were called! That's exactly what happened to Leo too!"

"So it wasn't my fault," Leo exhaled. "I didn't start World War 3. I just got possessed by an evil spirit. That's a relief!"

"But the Romans don't know that," Annabeth said. "And why would they take our word for it?"

"We could contact Reyna," Jason suggested. "She would believe us."

Jason turned to her with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "You could convince her, Pipes. I know you could."

Piper went completely pale. Annabeth, Hazel, and I shared sympathetic looks.

I was surprised when Lit spoke up.

"Dude," he said. "That was insensitive."

Jason blinked. "Huh?"

"You can't expect her to just go talk to the girl who is completely jealous of her," he said.

"What do you mean?"

Lit started looking irritated. "How clueless are you? Reyna looked completely jealous when you waltzed in with Piper then asked to show her around HER city. She liked you, dimwit, and you'd be rubbing Piper in her face and making Piper talk to someone who isn't very keen on discussing anything with her. Think before you speak."

Jason looked completely taken aback. "U-Um I'm sorry—"

Piper quickly came in to change the subject. "Well er— either way, Octavian is the one we have to worry about. In my dagger blade, I saw him taking control of the Roman crowd. I'm not sure Reyna can stop him."

Jason's expression darkened. Frank and Hazel nodded grimly.

"She's right," Frank said. "This afternoon while Hazel and I were scouting, we saw eagles again. They were a long way off but closing fast. Octavian is on a warpath."

Hazel grimaced. "This is exactly the sort of opportunity Octavian has always wanted. He'll try to seize power. If Reyna objects, he'll say she's soft on the Greeks. As for those eagles... it's like they could smell us."

"They can," Jason said. "Roman eagles can hunt demigods by their magical scent even better than monsters can. This shop might conceal us somewhat, but not completely— not from them."

"What do you propose, then?" Lit asked. "I mean, I can try and use plants to mask our scent and grow some scented ones around the ship wherever we land."

"Or I could try and install a smoke screen that makes the ship smell like a giant chicken nugget," Leo said. "Well, remind me to invent that, next time."

Hazel frowned. "What is a chicken nugget?"

"Oh man..." Leo shook his head in amazement. "That's right. You've missed the last like, seventy years. Well, my apprentice, a chicken nugget—"

"Not important right now," I said.

"Alright, then," Leo said. "Hey, Lydia, would you ever be able to teleport this whole ship around? That'd make us move a lot faster, then the eagles wouldn't find us."

I shook my head. I was about to answer when Lit cut in.

"Leo, you're insane," he said (a bit harshly, I might add). "The strain of that could kill her. Not even children of Hades with shadow travel could move an entire ship."

"Okay, okay, sorry," Leo said quickly.

"The point is," Annabeth said, bringing us back together, "we'll have a hard time explaining the truth to the Romans. Even if they believe us—"

"You're right." Jason leaned forward. "We should keep going. Once we're in the Atlantic, we'll be safe— at least from the legion."

He sounded depressed, and my heart ached for him. I think part of it was still him considering how Lit had called him out for being so insensitive.

"How can you be sure?" Piper asked. "Why wouldn't they follow us?"

He shook his head. "You heard Reyna talking about the ancient lands. They're much too dangerous. Roman demigods have been forbidden to go there for generations. Even Octavian couldn't get around that rule."

Frank swallowed a bite of burrito like it had turned to cardboard in his mouth. "So if we go there..."

"We'll be outlaws as well as traitors," Jason confirmed. "Any Roman demigod would have the right to kill us on sight. But I wouldn't worry about that. If we get across the Atlantic, they'll give up on chasing us. They'll assume we'll die in the Mediterranean."

"The Mare Nostrum," I mused. Jason nodded, and Percy pointed his pizza slice at him. "You, sir, are a ray of sunshine."

Jason didn't argue.

"So let's plan ahead," Percy suggested, "and make sure we don't die. Mr. D— Bacchus— Ugh, do I have to call him Mr. B now? Anyway, he mentioned the twins in Ella's prophecy. Two giants. Otis and uh, something that started with an F?"

"Ephialtes," Jason said.

"Twin giants, like Piper saw in her blade," I recalled. "Annabeth, wasn't there a story about them?"

Annabeth nodded, running her finger along the rim of her cup. "They tried to reach Mount Olympus by piling up a bunch of mountains."

Frank nearly choked. "Well, that's great. Giants who can use mountains like building blocks. And you say Bacchus killed these guys with a pinecone on a stick?"

"Something like that," I said. "Let's be wise and not necessarily count on his help, but definitely keep him in mind."

"Lydia's right," Percy agreed. "He wanted a tribute, and he made it pretty clear it would be a tribute we couldn't handle."

Silence fell around the table. I could hear Coach Hedge above deck singing "Blow the Man Down," except he didn't actually know the lyrics, so he mostly sang, "Blah blah hum de dum dum."

"She wants two of us," Piper murmured.

We all turned to look at her, and Piper turned red like she didn't like the attention. I admired her for it— she wasn't like the Aphrodite girls who practically murdered each other to have a shot in the spotlight.

"Today on the highway," she said, "Gaea told me that she needed the blood of only two demigods— one female, one male. She— she asked me to choose which boy would die."

Jason squeezed her hand. "But neither of us died. You saved us."

"I know," she replied. "It's just... why would she want that?"

Leo whistled softly. "Guys, remember at the Wolf House? Our favorite ice princess, Khione? She talked about spilling Jason's blood, how it would taint the place for generations. Maybe demigod blood has some kind of power."

"Oh...." Percy set down his third pizza slice. He leaned back and stared at nothing, as if Blackjack's bonk on his head had just now registered.

"Percy?" Annabeth and I asked immediately.

"Oh, bad," he muttered. "Bad. Bad." He looked across the table at Frank and Hazel. "You guys remember Polybotes?"

"The giant who invaded Camp Jupiter," Hazel said. "The anti Poseidon you whacked in the head with a Terminus statue. Yes, I think I remember."

"I had a dream when we were flying to Alaska. Polybotes was talking to the gorgons, and he said— he said he wanted me taken prisoner, not killed. He said: 'I want that one chained at my feet, so I can kill him when the time is ripe. His blood shall water the stones of Mount Olympus and wake the Earth Mother!'"

"So it is true," Lit mumbled.

"What's true?" Annabeth said. "What—"

"I remember my father talking about that— mentioning that we must try to preserve any demigods that came by as gold statues, and try not to kill them if we could help it. I didn't understand then, but..."

He sat up, his hands shaking as he gripped the edge of the table. "The giants want to use our blood to bless— well, actually bless is really not the word for that, more like wash over or taint— all those sacred locations that hold power because that will help Gaea rise at last."

We all let that sink in.

"So we avoid getting captured, then," Percy said.

"Yes," Lit replied. "I'm not sure of all the details but that's the general gist of it."

"How do we figure the rest of it out, then?" Hazel asked. "The Mark of Athena... the twins... Ella's prophecy... how does it all fit together?"

Annabeth pressed her hands against the edge of the table. "Piper, you told Leo to set our course for Atlanta."

"Right," Piper said. "Bacchus told us we should seek out... what was his name?"

"Phorcys," Percy said.

"You know him?" I asked.

Percy shrugged. "I didn't recognize the name at first. Then Bacchus mentioned salt water and it rang a bell. Phorcys is an old sea god from before my dad's time. Never met him, but he's supposedly a son of Gaea. I still don't understand what a sea god would be doing in Atlanta."

Leo snorted. "What's a wine god doing in Kansas? Gods are weird. Anyway, we should reach Atlanta by noon tomorrow, unless something else goes wrong."

"Don't even say that," Annabeth muttered. "It's getting late. We should all get some sleep."

"Wait," Piper said.

We all looked at her again. I noticed she was trembling.

"There's one last thing," she said. "The eidolons— the possessing spirits. They're still here, in this room."

"How do you know?" I mumbled.

"I have a feeling," she said. "No one ever told them to go away."

We all looked at her uncomfortably. Up on the deck, Hedge sang something that sounded like "In the Navy" while Blackjack stomped his hooves, whinnying in protest.

Finally, Hazel exhaled. "Piper is right."

"How can you be sure?" I asked.

"I've met eidolons," Hazel said. "In the Underworld, when I was... you know."

Dead.

"So...." Frank rubbed his hand across his buzz cut hair as if some ghosts might have invaded his scalp. "You think these things are lurking on the ship, or—"

"No," Lit said. "Eidolons can't exist in the mortal world unless they take a host. Which means if Piper and Hazel are right, they're inside some of us right now."

Jason clenched his fist. "If that's true—"

"We have to take steps," Piper said. "I think I can do this."

"Do what?" Percy asked.

"Just listen, okay?" Piper took a deep breath. "Everyone listen."

She looked at us, one person at a time.

"Eidolons," she said, using her charmspeak, "raise your hands."

There was a tense silence.

Leo laughed nervously. "Did you really think that was going to—?"

His voice died. His face went slack, like he was having a stroke. He raised his hand.

Jason and Percy did the same. Their eyes had turned glassy and gold. Hazel caught her breath. Next to Leo, Frank scrambled out of his chair and put his back against the wall.

"Oh gods." Annabeth looked at Piper imploringly. "Can you cure them?"

Piper gulped, but nodded. She looked directly at Leo. "Are there more of you on this ship?"

"No," Leo said in a hollow voice. "The Earth Mother sent three. The strongest, the best. We will live again."

"Not here you won't," Piper growled. "All three of you, listen carefully."

They turned to stare at her, their golden eyes flickering in the light.

"You will leave those bodies," Piper commanded.

"No," Percy said.

Leo let out a soft hiss. "We must live."

Frank fumbled for his bow. "Mars Almighty, that's creepy! Get out of here, spirits! Leave our friends alone!"

Leo turned to him. "You cannot command us, child of war. Your own life is fragile. Your soul could burn at any moment."

Frank staggered like he'd been punched in the gut. He drew an arrow, his hands shaking. "I—I've faced down worse things than you. If you want a fight—"

"Frank, don't." Hazel rose.

Percy drew his sword, and Lit and I both sprang up with our swords. Lit moved faster, disarming Percy and sending his sword flying across the floor. Unfortunately I knew we only had a few seconds before Riptide reappeared in his pocket. Jason drew his sword, glaring at us.

"Stop!" Piper ordered, her voice quivering.

"Listen to Piper," I growled, pointing my sword at Percy's neck. Hazel pointed at Jason's sword, and the gold blade clattered out of his hand.

Percy growled back at me, then Hazel. "Daughter of Hermes you shouldn't meddle in what doesn't concern you. And you, daughter of Pluto, you may control gems and metals, but you do not control the dead."

"Listen, eidolons," Hazel said sternly, "you do not belong here. I may not command you, but Piper does. Obey her."

Piper looked straight at Jason. "You will leave those bodies," she repeated forcefully.

Jason's face tightened, his forehead beading with sweat. "We— we will leave these bodies."

"You will vow on the River Styx never to return to this ship," Piper continued, "and never to possess any member of this crew."

Leo and Percy both hissed in protest.

"You will promise on the River Styx," Piper insisted.

All three seemed to be fighting desperately against her words.

Finally all three spoke in unison. "We promise on the River Styx."

"You are dead," Piper said.

"We are dead," they agreed.

"Now leave."

All three boys slumped forward. Percy fell face first into his pizza.

I put Slasher away in time to catch Leo before he fell, while the others caught Jason and Percy.

"Are you all right?" Hazel cried, cautiously moving towards the rest of us.

Leo nodded weakly. "Did it work?"

"It worked," Percy mumbled as Annabeth cleaned his face.

"I don't think they'll be back," I said. "Good job, Piper." She smiled sheepishly.

Jason blinked. "Does that mean I can stop getting head injuries now?"

"Please do," I said. "Now, go relax, please."


	54. We Discuss The Angel's Predicament

After everyone dispersed, Lit and I were left alone in the dining hall.

The ordeal with the eidolons left a sizable mess, so we spent about half an hour cleaning the dishes and the table with whatever rags we could find nearby. I don't know why we don't have cleaning supplies readily available for usage around here. Somehow, we ended up sweeping and mopping too, because it hadn't been done since we got there. I honestly don't know where Lit got the mop and broom from, he just disappeared and returned with it.

"Ta-da!" He said happily as we finished. "A job well done. I'm proud of us."

"Yipee," I agreed, though not as enthusiastically. "We cleaned. Yay."

"Oh don't be a party pooper."

"I am NOT being a party pooper. It just— it was cleaning."

"Cleaning is fun."

"Meh."

He smirked and led me out.

We went to the deck for a bit, though in a particular spot opposite the helm where no one would see us. There were shadows there to keep us hidden, just in case Coach Hedge decided to scout the ship for anyone 'misbehaving.'

We sat for awhile, just holding each other, not saying anything.

"Can we re-enact Titanic?" Lit asked.

"Not unless you want me to be selfish and lay on a door while you freeze to death in the Atlantic."

"Okay, no one said it had to be the part where he DIES, Lydia—"

"What else would we re-enact?"

"The dancing, duh."

He stood and offered me his hand.

"There's no music," I said, letting him help me up.

"Jeez, is this about to become a re-enactment of our New Year's date? Just dance with me, woman."

I rolled my eyes and wrapped my arms around his neck. He pulled me closer to him and we began to sway.

"Our first kiss," he mumbled. "Was January first. Almost six months ago."

"It was, wasn't it?" I asked, pressing myself into him, and laying my head against his chest. "That seems like forever ago."

"It sort of was. It's been... six months and six days since we first met. On July first we'll hit four months of being together, officially."

I smiled, rubbing his back. "Six months and six days of amazing conversations, fun dates, stupid jokes, sword fighting classes, and lots and lots of kisses."

To make my point, I tiptoed and kissed him.

I felt him smile into the kiss, and he moved to hold my face in his hands.

"I remember," he mumbled against my mouth, "how we played spin the bottle that one night at your mom's house—"

"—except it was just us two," I continued, blushing, "and we had to kiss whatever object the bottle landed on—"

"—and you kissed—"

"A bottle of Pepto Bismol," we both said, laughing.

"Which, let me remind you," I said, "was there because YOU insisted that you wanted to eat all those beans to prove a point and—"

"And we don't talk about that," he said quickly.

We both laughed again, and I shook my head.

"I really really like you," I whispered. "I want us to be together for a long time... as long as we can be. I really care about you and I want... if we can... to have a family with you."

"I want all those things too," he mumbled back. "Gods, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Lydia. I know that for a fact."

I blushed, and kissed him again.

When Lit and I finally back to my cabin (after a lot of kissing), he immediately closed the door and threw off his shirt.

"Oh come on are you staying here again?" I whined, ducking into the closet to grab my towel and some clothes.

"Yes," he said happily.

"Jesus, Lit. You have your own room."

"Aw, sounds like you don't want me."

"I woke up and you were gonna strangle me."

He blushed. "Sorry. It won't happen again. But can I stay?"

"I guess. But I'm taking a shower."

"Excellent, so am I."

"You don't have any clothes."

"I thought that was the point of a shower."

"No dummy, I mean to change into."

"I know, Lydia." He laughed, pulling me into his arms and kissing me. "I'll be right back."

He left (presumably to get clothes) and I hopped into the shower.

It felt good to be able to take a bath whenever I wanted to on this quest. Usually I couldn't be clean because we'd be hiding or being chased or dying.

I was only halfway done washing my hair when the door swung open. I shrieked, yanking the towel off of the rack to cover myself.

"Jeez, calm down, it's me."

It was Annabeth. She ducked under the sink and grabbed a bar of soap and a bottle of conditioner. "Thanks. By the way, Lit's moving your bed."

"What?" I said, spitting out shampoo as it fell in my mouth. My towel was soaked now, I wouldn't be able to use it.

"He's changing it so it has access on both sides. You had it pushed up against the wall."

"Oh," I said. "Okay."

She smirked and walked out, closing the door.

I sighed and threw the towel back over the glass shower door. It dripped both inside the shower and onto the floor.

When I finished, I cursed. There was nothing else here to use as a towel.

"Lit?" I called. "Um... crisis. Can you please bring me a towel?"

I drew the wet one over my body as he came in, holding a beige towel. His eyes flickered to the exposed bits of my skin and he turned red.

"Sorry," he said quickly, throwing it over the door. By the time I caught it, he'd turned quickly and left.

I loved how respectful he was.

I dried my hair then wrapped the dry towel around my body, stepping out of the shower. I peeked out the door and saw he had managed to move my bed to the center of the room, and had even rearranged the shelves.

"How'd you move it all so fast?" I asked, holding the towel tightly around me.

He looked at me and blushed again. "I-I um— well, the wood it's um... I can move the wood really easily and um... do you need clothes?"

His awkwardness was so adorable.

I laughed slightly. "I have clothes in the bathroom. I'll only be a minute."

I went back in and got dressed, then wrapped my hair in a towel and walked out. Lit came past me with his towel and a bundle of what I assumed were his clothes.

In eight minutes he was in and out and walked out wearing only boxers.

"Am I supposed to get blushy and stare at you now?" I inquired.

He smirked. "Um, no. Sorry about that. I hope it didn't make you uncomfortable."

"You didn't. Come to think of it that's probably the most of my skin you've seen uncovered. I don't really wear tank tops or shorts— these past months have all been winter or spring and that's cold."

"U-Uh yeah," he said, his cheeks red. He moved closer and I took a few steps toward him, pressing my hands on his chest and tiptoeing to kiss him.

"It's fine, Lit, I don't mind," I said, smiling. It's not like he was doing it in a rude way, it was sort of an accident. And I caught him off guard.

I stepped back, and looked at him.

Gods, l could stare at him forever. His chest is probably more muscular than Percy and Jason's and whoever's put together. Perfectly toned and muscular arms and abdomen, but not so that he looked weirdly buff, just attractive as hell.

His legs are muscular too, like a runner's. And his face, well, despite the scars he is really really good looking. His nose is probably nicer than everyone's here— it's perfectly curved and the perfect size for his face. His eyebrows are perfect and his eyes and lips and ears...

"You're staring."

"Sorry," I blurted out immediately. "You're really pretty— handsome! Handsome— I meant handsome."

He chuckled, and pulled me into his arms, one of his hands tilting my chin up.

"You're also really pretty," he said quietly, leaning down to look at me. "My really pretty, badass girlfriend who is going to be nice and share her bed because... well because I don't have nightmares when I'm with you."

I blinked. "You don't?"

"No. Every time I've fallen asleep before you, you'd leave, but I'd never have a single nightmare those nights. And last night was the first time I haven't had a nightmare in about a week."

"Well, then, by all means, please stay," I said. "Come to think of it, I didn't have a nightmare yesterday either. Of course, I might today since I woke up to you attempting to murder me—"

"Hey, I said I was sorry and that it was an accident—"

"I know."

I went to the bathroom to dry my hair properly, then brushed my teeth. Lit came in halfway through to shave the small bit of a beard he was starting to grow, then he too brushed his teeth.

"I love bonding like this," he said pleasantly. "Enforcing dental health."

"You're a dork."

"Hey, bad dental hygiene is NOT a joke, Lydia."

"Bad dental hygiene is NOT a joke," I mocked, and Lit set his toothbrush aside, then picked me up and flipped me so I was hanging upside down.

"Hey!" I cried, coughing as I choked on toothpaste.

He flipped me over abruptly, and I coughed again, then kicked him before spitting my toothpaste out and rinsing my mouth.

"Sorry," he said, though he didn't sound sorry.

After we managed to stop tickling and kicking each other, we turned off the lights and crawled into my bed.

For the record, Lit is a BED HOG. AN AWFUL BED HOG.

"Friendly reminder," I piped up as he wrapped his arms around me, "that this is my bed and you are, um, taking up approximately seventy eight percent of it."

"Shut up, no I'm not, your body takes up about forty five percent of it so I'm definitely only taking up fifty five percent."

"Still more than me!"

"Lydia I'm bigger than you."

"Ugh, fine."

He nuzzled his face into my neck, kissing it gently as he snaked his arms around my waist, his hands pressing against my stomach.

"I love you," he whispered in my ear.

"I care a lot about you too."

___________

When I woke up in the morning I felt refreshed.

For one, I hadn't had nightmares.

Secondly, Lit wasn't about to strangle me. He was snoring softly, his arms still wrapped around my body the way we'd been while falling asleep. His heart beat steadily, and I smiled, not wanting to get up.

Of course, the crew wouldn't have it.

The door flew open and a wide eyed Piper stared at us.

"You guys have to help!" She cried. "Percy and Annabeth are missing!"

I sat up so fast I elbowed Lit in the face and he hissed, swatting me away.

"Sorry!" I shrieked. "But Piper— what happened?"

"Hazel went to tell Annabeth something and she was gone, and we found Percy was gone and no one knows where they are! You have to help us look."

Lit and I scrambled out of bed immediately, throwing on whatever clothes we would. Lit simply threw on his pants from yesterday and ran out, still shirtless, and I settled for keeping my pajama pants on but changing into a Camp Half Blood t shirt and throwing my hair into a messy bun before sprinting out the other way.

I was panicking as I searched every place I possibly could while the others darted around doing the same.

Where the hell were they? Why would they just disappear? They couldn't have left the ship, could they? What if they'd been kidnapped? What if Hera was playing another awful trick and had plucked them both away? What if—

"FOUND THEM!"

Frank's voice was the only thing that allowed me to breathe steadily.

When we met in the mess hall, we found out Percy and Annabeth had fallen asleep together in the stables.

Jason, Piper, and I, were simply relieved. Leo and Lit couldn't stop grinning and muttering "Classic, classic" to each other. Hazel seemed scandalized, maybe because she was from the 1940s. She kept fanning her face and wouldn't look either of them in the eye.

Naturally, Coach Hedge went ballistic on them.

"Never in my life!" Coach bellowed, waving his bat and knocking over a plate of apples. "Against the rules! Irresponsible!"

"Coach," Annabeth said, "it was an accident. We were talking, and we fell asleep."

"Besides," Percy said, "Lydia and Lit do it all the time."

"I don't care!" Coach yelled, which surprised me a lot. "They're both over eighteen! The rest of you cupcakes are underage!"

I couldn't tell if Annabeth was more jealous or impressed at how the Coach didn't get mad at us.

Of course, Hazel and Frank looked absolutely mortified. Leo wasn't surprised, and Jason and Piper seemed to encourage it with their smirks.

"Coach," Percy said, "you're starting to sound like Terminus."

Hedge narrowed his eyes. "Is that an insult, Jackson? 'Cause I'll— I'll terminus you, buddy!"

Percy looked like he was trying not to laugh. "It won't happen again, Coach. I promise. Now, don't we have other things to discuss?"

Hedge fumed. "Fine! But I'm watching you, Jackson. And you, Annabeth Chase, I thought you had more sense—"

Jason cleared his throat. "So grab some food, everybody. Let's get this started."

The meeting was like a war council back home, but with donuts, and without Clarisse and my brothers snapping at each other over pranks or something else.

Percy told us about a dream he'd had— the twin giants planning a reception for us in an underground parking lot with rocket launchers; Nico di Angelo trapped in a bronze jar, slowly dying of asphyxiation with pomegranate seeds at his feet.

Hazel choked back a sob. "Nico... oh gods. The seeds."

"You know what they are?" Annabeth asked.

Hazel nodded. "He showed them to me once. They're from our stepmother's garden."

"Your step... oh," Percy said. "You mean Persephone."

He looked at me and winced.

"What was that for?" Piper asked.

"We met her once," I said. "She wasn't exactly very warm and sunny. Didn't try to stop Hades from killing Percy."

"Not to mention Persephone hated your comment about the benefits of cereal," Percy recalled. "'Cause you supported Demeter's point. And then Demeter told you that you'd make a perfect wife for one of her sons."

We both looked at Lit and he blinked. "Me?"

"Yes, you," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Wait," Piper said. "If Persephone is Hazel and Nico's stepmother and Lit is Persephone's half brother, then is he their step-uncle?"

"That's not important," Annabeth hissed. "Let Hazel finish."

"Sorry," Percy and I said automatically.

Hazel half smiled. "The seeds are a last resort food. Only children of Hades can eat them. Nico always kept some in case he got stuck somewhere. But if he's really imprisoned—"

"The giants are trying to lure us," Annabeth said. "They're assuming we'll try to rescue him."

"Well, they're right!" Hazel said. "Won't we?"

"Yes!" Coach Hedge yelled with a mouthful of napkins. "It'll involve fighting, right?"

"Hazel, of course we'll help him," Frank said. "But how long do we have before... uh, I mean, how long can Nico hold out?"

"One seed a day," Hazel replied miserably. "That's if he puts himself in a death trance."

"A death trance?" Annabeth scowled. "That doesn't sound fun."

"It keeps him from consuming all his air," Hazel said. "Like hibernation, or a coma. One seed can sustain him one day, barely."

"And he has five seeds left," Percy said. "That's five days, including today. The giants must have planned it that way, so we'd have to arrive by July first. Assuming Nico is hidden somewhere in Rome—"

"Then that's hardly enough time," I mumbled. I put my hand on Hazel's shoulder. "We will find him. At least now we know what the lines of the prophecy mean. 'Twins snuff out the angel's breath, who holds the key to endless death.' Nico di Angelo. Angelo— angel, in Italian."

"Oh gods," Hazel muttered. "Nico..."

I looked over at Percy, and saw him staring at his jelly donut.

I knew he and I both had a bit of a rocky history with Nico. But we needed to save him.

"We'll rescue him," Percy promised. "We have to. The prophecy says he holds the key to endless death."

"That's right," Piper said encouragingly. "Hazel, your brother went searching for the Doors of Death in the Underworld, right? He must've found them."

"He can tell us where the doors are," Lit suggested, "and how to close them."

Hazel took a deep breath. "Yes. Good."

"Uh..." Leo shifted in his chair. "One thing. The giants are expecting us to do this, right? So we're walking into a trap?"

Hazel looked at Leo like he'd made a rude gesture. "We have no choice!"

"Don't get me wrong, Hazel. It's just that your brother, Nico... He knew about both camps, right?"

"Well, yes..."

"He's been going back-and-forth," Leo said, "and he didn't tell either side."

Jason sat forward, his expression grim. "You're wondering if we can trust the guy. So am I."

Hazel shot to her feet. "I don't believe this. He's my brother. He brought me back from the Underworld, and you don't want to help him?"

Frank put his hand on her shoulder. "Nobody's saying that." He glared at Leo. "Nobody had better be saying that."

Leo blinked. "Look guys. All I mean is—"

"Hazel," Jason said. "Leo is raising a fair point. I remember Nico from Camp Jupiter. Now I find out he also visited Camp Half Blood. That does strike me as... well, a little shady. Do we really know where his loyalties lie? We just have to be careful."

Hazel opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, I shot up, my plate of french toast flying off the table.

"Are you KIDDING me?" I snarled. "You— NONE of you know Nico as well as Percy and I do. No offense, Hazel, but you haven't known him as long." I looked at her and she didn't seem offended by it. I cleared my throat, my skin burning out of anger. "We— Percy and I— were partly responsible for the death of his sister, Bianca. We dealt with his hatred of us and his mad search for her. We lived through him debating whether he should help his father or us in the second Titan War. And you know what he did? He eventually forgave us. He grew as a person and let his sister rest in peace and be reborn. He then helped us defeat Kronos. If he hadn't come when he did, Luke— Luke would have destroyed us. Nico was the one who got Hades, Demeter, and Persephone to help us while all the other gods were battling Typhon. If it weren't for him, we'd all be DEAD right now. You're wondering why he didn't tell the Camps? TO PREVENT WAR! Nico had to keep his mouth shut because as we'd discussed previously, every time the Camps came into contact there would be war. Look what happened when we showed up! As much as it wasn't our fault, fate was not in our favor and at this very moment we're running away from the Romans. Obviously he couldn't say anything! If he had there would have been more Chaos than the realm itself lingering in Tartarus. You don't get to judge Nico for what he chose to do."

Everyone was silent. Hazel seemed to appreciate my mini speech.

Jason looked indignant. "You said it yourself, Lydia, he debated who to help in the Titan War. How do we know he isn't—"

Hazel's silver plate of scrambled eggs suddenly soared off the table and narrowly avoided slamming into Jason's face.

"You... the great Jason Grace," she said, her whole body and voice shaking. "The praetor I looked up to. You were supposed to be so fair, such a good leader. And now you..."

Hazel stomped her foot and stormed out of the mess hall.

"Hazel!" Leo called after her. "Ah, jeez, I should—"

"You've done enough," Frank growled.

"Nice going, Grace," I spat, sitting down hard in my chair.

"I'll be back," Frank said coldly. He got up to follow her, but Piper gestured him to wait.

"Give her time," Piper advised. Then she frowned at Leo and Jason. "You guys, that was pretty cold."

Jason looked shocked. "Cold? I'm just being cautious!"

"You're being a dick!" I hissed. "Her brother is dying!"

"I'll go talk to her," Frank insisted.

"No," Piper said. "Let her cool down first. Trust me on this. I'll go check on her in a few minutes."

"But..." Frank huffed like an irritated bear. "Fine. I'll wait."

From above came a whirring sound like a large drill.

"That's Festus," Leo said. "I've got him on autopilot, but we must be nearing Atlanta. I'll have to get up there... uh, assuming we know where to land."

We all turned to Percy, who looked shocked we'd turned our attention to him.

Jason raised an eyebrow. "You're Captain Salt Water. Any ideas from the expert?"

I immediately noticed the resentment in his voice. I assumed it was mostly because he'd been called out as insensitive all over again, when he was supposed to be one of the more powerful leaders on the ship. Part of it must've also been because of the Kansas ordeal Piper had described. I suppose he must be wondering who'd actually win in a fight between him and Percy.

That's hard to say because Jason could use his electricity and blast Percy to smithereens since water conducts it.

But Percy, after only what, five years at Camp Half Blood, was at praetor level and as powerful as Jason who'd been training since he was two?

Okay, maybe my bet's on Percy for sure.

"I'm not sure," Percy said, regarding Jason's question. "Somewhere central, high up so we can get a good view of the city. Maybe a park with some woods? We don't want to land a warship in the middle of downtown. I doubt even the Mist could cover up something that huge."

Leo nodded. "On it." He raced for the stairs.

Frank settled back in his chair uneasily, looking balefully at Leo.

"When we land, I'll scout around in Atlanta," Percy said. "Frank, I could use your help."

"You mean turn into a dragon, again? Honestly, Percy, I don't want to spend the whole quest being everyone's flying taxi."

That made me wanna just " :( " because, poor baby.

"No," Percy said. "I want you with me because you've got the blood of Poseidon. Maybe you can help me figure out where to find salt water. Besides, you're good in a fight."

That seemed to make Frank feel a little better. "Sure. I guess."

"Great," Percy said. "We should take one more. Annabeth—"

"Oh, no!" Coach Hedge barked. "Young lady, you are grounded."

Annabeth stared at him like he was speaking a foreign language. "Excuse me?"

"You and Jackson are not going anywhere together!" Hedge insisted. He glared at Percy, daring him to mouth off. "I'll go with Frank and Mr. Sneaky Jackson. The rest of you guard the ship and make sure Annabeth doesn't break any more rules!"

I wanted to laugh, but decided this was not the time.

"This," Percy said, a wry smile on his face as he looked at Annabeth and I, "is going to be so much fun."


	55. The Aquarium Is Not Pacific

While Percy, Frank, and Coach Hedge did whatever they were doing in Atlanta, the rest of us dispersed.

Piper ended up keeping Jason and Leo in the mess hall to scold them. Annabeth, Lit, and I did our best to comfort Hazel.

"Look," Lit said, still bouncing a small ball onto the wall and catching it, as he'd been doing for the past half hour, "your brother is resourceful. He was smart to go into a death trance. He bought us time and we all have a knack for succeeding even when the odds aren't against us, right? So we'll reach him in time and everything will be okay. At sunset on July first, we'll have a picnic on the deck with Nico. Alright?"

Hazel sniffled. "Okay..."

"How about Lydia and I go through a list of Percy's best Seaweed Brain moments?" Annabeth offered.

"That would be nice," Hazel said.

"So one time," I said, "we were on a quest to rescue Annabeth and Artemis and we found these skeletal saber toothed kittens and Percy won't admit this, but he squealed when he saw them and insisted we keep one."

Hazel half smiled. "They were probably really cute."

"Once, Percy got turned into a guinea pig," Annabeth said. "The witch Circe said it was his true form. Now, I appreciate the moment. He was a cute guinea pig."

"When we used to teach sword, he was trying to show two people different things at once and he dropped his sword, and when he bent down, his pants ripped."

Hazel let out a small laugh.

We continued like that for awhile, until suddenly there were hurried footsteps in the hall, and Frank burst into the cabin.

"Where's Leo?" He gasped. "Take off! Take off!"

We shot to our feet.

"What happened?" Lit demanded. "Where are Percy and Hedge?"

Frank grabbed his knees, trying to breathe. His clothes were stiff and damp, like they'd been washed in pure starch. "On deck. They're fine— we're being followed!"

Annabeth reacted fastest. She pushed past Frank and took the stairs three at a time. We all stumbled behind her, even Frank (though he gasped for air the entire time).

Percy and Hedge lay on the deck, looking exhausted. Hedge was missing his shoes. He grinned at the sky, muttering, "Awesome. Awesome." Percy was covered with nicks and scratches, like he'd jumped through a window. Annabeth and I kneeled beside him and he shook his head as if saying "Be right with you, as soon as the world stops spinning."

Leo, Piper, and Jason came rushing up the stairs.

"What? What?" Leo cried, holding a half eaten grilled cheese sandwich. "Can't a guy even take a lunch break? What's wrong?"

"Followed!" Frank choked again.

"Followed by what?" Jason asked.

"I don't know!" Frank panted. "Whales? Sea monsters? Maybe Kate and Porky!"

"Excellent explanation, Frank," I said, deciding we wouldn't be getting answers now. "Leo, get us out of here quickly. We will talk later."

Leo put his sandwich between his teeth, pirate style, and ran for the helm.

Soon the Argo II was rising into the sky. Lit and I manned the aft crossbow. But there was no sign of pursuit by whales or otherwise, so we rejoined the cluster of demigods on the deck, where Percy, Frank, and Hedge were recovering.

"Charleston," Percy said, hobbling around the deck like an old man. He still sounded pretty shaken up. "Set course for Charleston."

"Charleston?" Jason said the name as if it brought back bad memories. "What exactly did you find in Atlanta?"

Frank unzipped his backpack and started bringing out souvenirs. "Some peach preserves. A couple of t shirts. A snow glove. And, um, these not really Chinese handcuffs."

Annabeth looked like she was about to strangle him. I understood. Frank was definitely very out of it.

"How about you start from the top— of the story, not the backpack?" She suggested.

We gathered on the quarterdeck so Leo could hear the conversation as he navigated. Percy and Frank took turns relating their crazy adventure with Phorcys and Keto at the Georgia Aquarium, with Coach Hedge interjecting from time to time: "That was awesome!" or "Then I kicked her in the head!"

When Percy explained a part about captive sea creatures in the aquarium, Annabeth and I shared a look.

That's why he was so upset.

"That's terrible," she said. "We need to help them."

"We will," Percy promised. "In time. But I have to figure out how. I wish..." he shook his head. "Never mind. First we have to deal with this bounty on our heads."

Coach Hedge had lost interest in the conversation— probably since it was no longer about him— and wandered toward the bow of the ship, practicing his roundhouse kicks and complimenting himself on his technique.

I gripped Slasher's hilt tightly. "A bounty on our heads. Just peachy. As if we don't attract enough monsters already."

"Do we get WANTED posters?" Leo asked. "And do they have our bounties, like, broken down on a price list?"

Hazel wrinkled her nose. "What are you talking about?"

"Just curious how much I'm going for these days," Leo said. "For example, the highest ones will probably be Lit, Lydia, and Annabeth."

"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment," Lit mumbled.

"I'm curious!" Leo continued. "I mean, I can understand not being as pricey as Percy or Jason maybe...but am I worth, like, two Franks, or three Franks?"

"Hey!" Frank complained.

Good gods that was the LIMIT.

"No," I said, glaring at Leo, and standing up. "No, you are not worth any number of Franks, it doesn't fricking matter! Everyone here is perfectly worthy, and the bounty over our heads won't deal with money, it deals with blood and death. I am SICK of you people trying to one-up each other."

"Huh?" Percy said. "We're not—"

"Please, you and Jason look at each other everyday like you wonder who's the better of you two. You, Frank and Leo, have been butting heads and you need to fix it, because I am sick of you glaring at each other all the time. All of you are here for a reason. We're all part of this Great Prophecy, and we are all amazing in our own way. We need to actually work as a team, because honestly it doesn't really feel like we are. What happened earlier with the mistrusting Nico? That can NEVER happen again, do I make myself clear? Work together, dummies! You guys want to defeat Gaea, then we have to respect each other and everyone's individual skills. Do I make myself clear?"

They were all silent. Annabeth seemed pleased I'd brought it up.

"Good," I said, letting out a harsh breath. "Now, our next step is to go to Charleston and find this map, right?"

"A map," Piper came in immediately, making sure the conversation kept up. "But a map to what?"

"The Mark of Athena." Percy looked cautiously at Annabeth, like he was afraid he'd overstepped. "Whatever that is. We know it leads to something important in Rome, something that might heal the rift between the Romans and Greeks."

"The giants' bane," Hazel added.

Percy nodded. "And in my dream, the twin giants said something about a statue."

"Um..." Frank rolled his not-exactly-Chinese handcuffs between his fingers. "According to Phorcys, we'd have to be insane to try to find it. But what is it?"

Everyone looked at Annabeth, except Lit. He looked down.

I got the feeling he knew exactly what it was, though he couldn't say.

"I—I'm close to an answer," she said. "I'll know more if we find this map. Jason, the way you reacted to the name Charleston... have you been there before?"

Jason glanced uneasily at Piper. "Yeah... Reyna and I did a quest there about a year ago. We were salvaging Imperial gold weapons from the C.S.S. Hunley."

"The what?" Piper asked.

"Woah!" Leo said. "That's the first successful military submarine. From the Civil War. I always wanted to see that."

"It was designed by Roman demigods," Jason said. "It held a secret stash of Imperial gold torpedoes— until we rescued them and brought them back to Camp Jupiter."

Hazel crossed her arms. "So the Romans fought on the Confederate side? As a girl whose grandmother was a slave, can I just say... not cool?"

Jason put his hands in front of him, palms up. "I personally was not alive then. And it wasn't all Greeks on one side and all Romans on the other. But yes, not cool. Sometimes demigods make bad choices." He looked sheepishly at Hazel. "Like sometimes we're too suspicious and we speak without thinking.

Thank the gods he was apologizing.

Jason elbowed Leo. "Ow!" He yelped. "I mean, yeah... bad choices. Like not trusting people's brothers who, you know, might need saving. Hypothetically speaking."

Hazel pursed her lips. "Fine. Back to Charleston. Are you saying we should check that submarine again?"

Jason shrugged. "Well... I can think of two places in Charleston we might search. The museum where they keep the Hunley— that's one of them. It has a lot of relics from the Civil War. A map could be hidden in one. I know the layout. I could lead a team inside."

"I'll go," Leo said. "That sounds cool."

Jason nodded. He turned to Frank, who was trying to pull his fingers out of the Chinese handcuffs. "You should come too, Frank. We might need you."

Frank looked surprised. "Why? Not like I was much good at the aquarium."

"You did fine," Percy assured him. "It took all three of us to break that glass."

"Besides, you're a child of Mars," Jason said. "The ghosts of defeated causes are bound to serve you. And the museum in Charleston has plenty of Confederate ghosts. We'll need you to keep them in line."

"Okay." Frank relented. "Sure." He frowned at his fingers, trying to pull them out of the trap. "Uh, how do you—?"

Leo chuckled. "Man, you've never seen those before? There's a simple trick to getting out." Frank tugged again with no luck. Even Hazel was trying not to laugh.

Frank grimaced with concentration. Suddenly, he disappeared. On the deck where he'd been standing, a green iguana crouched next to an empty set of Chinese handcuffs.

"Well done, Frank Zhang," Leo said dryly, doing an impression of Chiron. "That is exactly how people beat Chinese handcuffs. They turn into iguanas."

Everyone busted out laughing. Frank turned back to human, picked up the handcuffs, and shoved them in his backpack. He managed an embarrassed smile.

"Anyway," he said, clearly anxious to change the subject. "The museum is one place to search. But uh, Jason, you said there were two?"

Jason's smile faded. Whatever he was thinking about, I could tell it wasn't pleasant.

"Yeah," he said. "The other place is called the Battery— it's a park right by the harbor. The last time I was there... with Reyna..." he glanced at Piper then rushed on. "We saw something in the park. A ghost or some sort of spirit, like a Southern belle from the Civil War, glowing and floating along. We tried to approach it, but it disappeared whenever we got close. Then Reyna had this feeling— she said she should try it alone. Like maybe it would only talk to a girl. She went up to the spirit by herself and sure enough, it spoke to her."

We waited for him to continue, but he didn't.

"What did it say?" Lit inquired.

"Reyna wouldn't tell me," Jason admitted. "But it must have been important. She seemed... shaken up. Maybe she got a prophecy or some bad news. Reyna never acted the same around me after that."

"A girls' adventure then," I said, as pleasantly as I could. "Piper, Annabeth, and Hazel will come with me."

They all nodded, though Hazel looked nervous. No doubt her time in the Underworld had given her enough ghost experiences for two lifetimes. Piper's eyes flashed defiantly, like anything Reyna could do, she could do.

Annabeth agreed as well, though she looked concerned that Percy, Lit, and Coach Hedge would stay on the ship alone. She looked at Percy and he nodded.

"So that's settled." Annabeth turned to Leo. "How long until we reach Charleston?"

"Good question," he muttered. "Festus just detected a large group of eagles behind us— long range radar, still not in sight."

"Are you sure they're Roman?" Piper asked.

Leo rolled his eyes. "No Pipes, it could be a random group of giant eagles flying in perfect formation. Of course they're Roman! I suppose we could turn the ship around and fight—"

"Which would be a very bad idea," Lit said immediately, "and remove any doubts that we're enemies of Rome."

"Or I've got another idea," Leo said. "If we went straight to Charleston, we could be there in a few hours. But the eagles would overtake us, and things would get complicated. Instead, we could send out a decoy to trick the eagles. We take the ship on a detour, go the long way to Charleston, and get there tomorrow morning—"

Hazel started to protest, but Leo raised his hand. "I know, I know. Nico's in trouble and we have to hurry."

"It's June twenty seventh," Hazel said. "After today, four more days, then he dies."

"I know! But this might throw the Romans off our trail. We still should have enough time to reach Rome."

Hazel scowled. "When you say should have enough..."

Leo shrugged. "How do you feel about barely enough?"

Hazel put her face in her hands for a count of three. "Sounds about typical for us."

"Okay, Leo," Annabeth said. "What kind of decoy are we taking about?"

"I'm so glad you asked!" He punched s few buttons on the console. "Buford? Report for duty, please."

Frank took a step back. "There's somebody else on the ship? Who is Buford?"

A puff of steam shot from the stairwell, and Leo's automatic table climbed on deck.

"This is Buford!" Leo announced, patting the three legged table with a mahogany top.

"You name your furniture?" Frank asked.

"Wait," Lit cut in. "Leo, what's the table going to do?"

"It has dirty laundry inside, and it'll throw the eagles off our scent."

"No!" Frank said. "My laundry is in there!"

"I agree," Lit said. "We're not going to put perfectly good clothes and a mahogany table to waste for this. I'll go."

We all went silent.

"You'll go where?" I inquired immediately.

"To be the decoy," he said. "I mean, I'm not officially part of the prophecy. I can be spared. Jason, Leo, and Frank are already going to the museum and you girls are going to the Battery. Hedge can guard the ship and Percy can either relax or search the sea when you're there. I wouldn't be doing anything, really. I can go and lead them a way— stall them a bit. If I can get them to follow me, I can get the eagles trapped in some plants. Not too harshly so it'll hurt them, but enough to delay them."

"That's— but Lit that's sort of attacking them," I blurted out. Really, I didn't want him to go. I didn't want him out of my sight.

"Then if Hazel lets me, I could borrow her horse and zoom around below them so they have to follow me. I'll double back a few times until they lose me then meet you in Charleston."

"That— that might not work," I insisted. "Why would they follow one demigod on a horse instead of the entire ship with everyone else they'd like very much to kill?"

"I think Lit's idea might work, at least to buy us time," Jason said. "The Romans will definitely wonder what's he's doing there."

"But they'll suspect it's a decoy!" I cried. "No— Lit, you can't go— you can't."

"Lydia, I'll be fine," he said. "Chances are they'll investigate. Consider it this way, they'll think I'm going to do something important. They don't know that we know they're following us. They won't suspect it's a decoy."

"But—"

"Babe, I'll be fine."

The others snickered, and I turned red.

I looked away from Lit, and drew a deep breath.

"I'm sure it would work, even for a little bit," Annabeth said reassuringly. "It's our best bet. That way we can go straight to Charleston and not be held back. Lit can leave in like, an hour so we can do that detour Leo mentioned, and get to Charleston in the morning."

I honestly never thought Annabeth would agree with Lit.

"Fine," I mumbled. "Fine— whatever."

I stood and without looking back, marched right down to my room.

"Lydia!" I could hear Lit following me.

"I said it's fine, I don't want to talk about it!" I yelled back, gritting my teeth.

"Lydia, babe—"

I whirled around just as he caught up to me.

"Don't you get it?" I snapped. "I said I don't want to talk about it!"

"You're worried, and I get that—"

"They could kill you!" I shrieked. "Those Romans have been tailing is since California and they— they want revenge, they want to hurt someone for what we unintentionally did! You remember the scarecrow dude— he's crazy! And Reyna might be with him!"

"Look, I'm not scared of your ex-girlfriend," he said, clearly trying to make it a joke.

"That's not funny!" I spit.

"It kind of is."

"No it isn't! What the hell am I supposed to do if something happens to you?"

"Lydia, I've done more dangerous things. Remember the zip lining?"

"You almost died zip lining because you weren't patient enough to buckle yourself properly!"

"I've gone on quests before and I haven't died— well, I did die once but that was because of Hercules—"

"You're completely missing my point! This is really dangerous— you don't have backup, it's just you against who knows how many Romans on Roman eagles!"

"Lydia, it's nothing I can't handle—"

"I can't lose you!"

"You won't!"

"But I could— this is really really dangerous—"

"I'm not Ethan!"

I faltered, and stepped back.

"Good gods, Lydia, you're overthinking this," Lit said, now looking mildly annoyed. "It's me being a decoy, not attacking them. I'll be fine. I'm not going to die like he did— I'm not that much of an idiot."

"Excuse me?" I hissed, my eyes stinging with tears. "What— what did you call him?"

He didn't seem to register to my question. "You're constantly all wound up over people who have died, and you're always thinking about how you can't say 'I love you' and stuff like that. I understand that, I do, but it feels like you're constantly comparing me to Ethan. How he died. How you haven't been able to love someone since him. That happened already, Lydia! That's past! I'm a different person! And I'm not fragile! I'm not going to die if you love me. If I die it's because I was fighting for what's right, and the Fates decided that was it for me the second time. You're way too worried and thinking the worst when it probably won't happen. I'm not an idiot like he was. I'm not going to go about this in a stupid way. I'm not going to leave you, I'm not going to die. Stop fucking worrying, godsdamn it!"

I was silent. I didn't even know what to say.

"I'll see you later," he mumbled. He kissed my cheek then strode away, not looking back once.

________________________________

**What do you think? Should Lit have yelled at Lydia? Was he right? Was he too harsh? Let me know in the comments!**


	56. I Consider My Entire Life Choices

When I made it back to my cabin, I burst into tears.

Honest to the gods, I wasn't exactly sure why I was crying.

I was mad. Mad at Lit for not taking my worrying seriously. How was I supposed to just say 'yes, honey, have a swell time!' when he was going to throw himself to the Roman eagles like a scrap of meat saying 'hey! I'n Greek and you don't like me— come and try to kill me!'

I have every right to be mad, don't I?

But I also feel sad. Sad that Lit's been thinking and comparing himself to Ethan this entire time because of me.

I mean I know I think about him a lot but I just... I didn't realize I was doing it. I feel awful. Disgusted at myself.

I don't know if I'm crying more out of sadness or madness. Take your pick, I guess.

I laid down on my bed, putting my feet up on the headboard and laying with my head flat.

Think. I needed to think.

I had to fix this. Lit was clearly pissed off, and I didn't want him to be. I didn't want to be the reason he held resentment or anything.

I started to consider— what had I done? What situations could I even remember where Ethan had come up?

Well, quite a few.

I remembered the day we arrived in New Rome. Reyna had just led Annabeth away, and Hazel was telling me about where Luke had ended up— with that couple in Mississippi who hadn't been able to have children.

I distinctly remember that Hazel had hesitated to mention something, and had looked cautiously at Lit.   
  


" _What?" I asked, looking at Lit._

_"Well... Nico also wanted me to tell you about... Ethan," Hazel continued. "And where he was reborn."_

_I tensed a bit. "Oh... nice. What... what about him_?"  
  


Okay, I knew the first thing I had thought was: how the hell is Lit going to react when he hears her talk about Ethan? Indifferent? Jealous?

I suppose I was worried about my reaction. If I started crying, I didn't want to give Lit the impression I still had feelings for him.

I was so overly worried about how Lit would react.  
  


_"He was born to a young couple in Idaho— younger brother to four girls," Hazel said. "They named him Matthew."_

_"I'm glad," I said quietly, wringing my hands together._

_"So uh— if you'll excuse us," Lit said suddenly, I want to tour the place with Lydia."_

_They waved goodbye and Lit led me away_.  
  


I remember right after, Lit had comforted me. And I'd just let him.  
  


 _"You don't have to pretend he wasn't someone who meant something to you," Lit said as soon as we got away. "Lydia, I understand. I understand he loved you and you loved him. I'm not going to act jealous if you talk about him— that's absurd. He was a part of your life. That's natural. You can embrace it all you'd like— don't feel you have to disregard him because of me. I know you care about me— I have no reason to dislike you talking about someone you loved before I came. I understand how much he meant. If you need to talk about him you can, and should. Don't feel obligated to shut him out of conversations_."  
  


I think I automatically assumed he was cool with all things Ethan (so to speak, I'm not sure how else to say it).

But had he really felt that? Had he really thought it was okay? He seemed to have bottled up resentment for me always acting all sad about anything that had to do with Ethan.

I considered. I'd just thanked him for his words and that was that.

But... had I made it worse by not bothering to make a change? To just let myself wallow in sadness that I claimed was long past but still thought about all the time?

Gods. I'm starting to think that my acting weird whenever Ethan was mentioned is what sparked all this. Made Lit wonder if I was comparing them.

I must have been without realizing it.

I thought about when we returned from our quest to find lime and Celestial bronze— after Narcissus had shot me.  
  


_"You got shot and it isn't a big deal?"_

_"I've had worse happen to me!" I protested._

_"That's true," Percy said helpfully. "Last time when she got impaled with Kronos's scythe she was having seizures and calling for her mom. Man, Ethan was freaking out so—"_

_He stopped, looking at Lit. I sighed. "Um, nevermind," Percy said quickly_.  
  


I considered Percy. He'd automatically shut down whatever he was going to say because of Lit.

Had I conditioned him to do that in the few hours he'd known about Lit? Had I given off some sort of vibe that Ethan shouldn't be mentioned?

Damn it. That must have made Lit so much more self conscious— even my friends couldn't mention my past relationship in front of him.

My mind turned to the first night we'd fallen asleep in the same bed. He'd told me he loved me and I'd had a flashback of Ethan right away.   
  


" _Lydia, you have every right to be iffy about all this," Lit said. "You shouldn't feel you have to respond to me right away, just like you shouldn't feel you have to suppress your feelings for Ethan. Babe, I get it. Really, I do. Love is a difficult topic. I respect that. And I don't want you to feel like you have to tolerate me saying it just because I want to. Because if you don't feel it, that's that and I don't care for you any less because of it. If it's making you uncomfortable for me to say it, all you gotta do is say the word and I'll tone it down. Mind you, I'm still going to constantly be thinking about how in love with you I am, but that doesn't mean I need to make you feel weird by saying it so often_."  
  


I made him feel like he had to stop expressing his feelings for me because I was emotionally weak. No wonder he thought I was overreacting— I've been giving him the impression that I'm not even sane enough to handle it and need to be babied.

I've done this to myself— screwed this up. Because now he thinks I simply haven't gotten over Ethan and probably never will. He must be devastated— he must think his girlfriend will never stop remembering her past relationship. That's exactly why he thought I was comparing them...   
  


_"They didn't die because you said it, you know."_

_"I know, but it feels like they did."_

_"I'm not leaving." He cupped my face in his hands. "I'm not going to leave you. I'll be honored the day you tell me, of course, but even now I know you care about me, and that's enough. I don't need all the sappy stuff other people like, I just need you, and for you to be happy with our relationship_."  
  


Oh gods. Oh gods. I've really... really screwed this up.

I'm not even mad at Lit anymore— I'm mad at myself and myself only.

I've been so insensitive of him. It's just been about my feelings. And he's been complying and conforming to my needs and I haven't once thought that he must be feeling like I still love Ethan. He must be feeling that I will never tell him I love him— that the relationship is futile.

Gods. Gods. I've probably made it seem like I'll never reciprocate. That he isn't Ethan. So I can't love him, or something.

Damn it. DAMN IT!   
  


_"They could kill you!" I shrieked. "Those Romans have been tailing is since California and they— they want revenge, they want to hurt someone for what we unintentionally did! You remember the scarecrow dude— he's crazy! And Reyna might be with him!"_

_"Look, I'm not scared of your ex-girlfriend," he said, clearly trying to make it a joke._

_"That's not funny!" I spit._

_"It kind of is."_

_"No it isn't! What the hell am I supposed to do if something happens to you?"_

_"Lydia, I've done more dangerous things. Remember the zip lining?"_

_"You almost died zip lining because you weren't patient enough to buckle yourself properly!"_

_"I've gone on quests before and I haven't died— well, I did die once but that was because of Hercules—"_

_"You're completely missing my point! This is really dangerous— you don't have backup, it's just you against who knows how many Romans on Roman eagles!"_

_"Lydia, it's nothing I can't handle—"_

_"I can't lose you!"_

_"You won't!"_

_"But I could— this is really really dangerous—"_

_"I'm not Ethan!"_   
  


Why did I get mad? He KNEW Ethan— he MET him. Ethan wasn't the brightest and didn't go about things how he should have— he wasn't wrong.

Even me, who knew him, had to know Ethan and Lit are nothing alike. Ethan was fearful all the time and doubtful. Lit is calculated, sure, and fierce. They are NOTHING alike.

I should have known I was comparing them.

I shouldn't have made it seem like Lit was weak and going to get hurt.

Oh gods... what have I done?

I feel tears pouring down my cheeks again. I've screwed this up. I've made Lit think all I see him as is the next Ethan who's going to die. Making it seem like I don't believe in him and his power and skills.

What the hell have I done?

If he doesn't come back I'll never forgive myself.

____________

I wake up absolutely exhausted.

To be honest, I didn't really sleep. Maybe not at all.

Lit wasn't back. He probably wouldn't be back for hours.

I know if I had actually managed to sleep, I would have had nightmares.

I really screwed this up...

After forcing myself to shower and change, I went to the mess hall and found Annabeth buttering toast for herself.

She looked at me and her expression became grim. I sensed she could read from my face that I'd been devastated.

"You okay?" She asked.

"No."

I grabbed a bagel and shoved it in my mouth, then sat beside her and chewed slowly, looking off at the images of Camp Half Blood.

"Spill," she said firmly.

"No." It was muffled with the bagel in my mouth.

"Lydia."

It was that 'you better tell me before I stab you' tone.

I forced myself to finish the bagel fast, then told her absolutely everything I'd been thinking last night.

Her eyes were stormy grey.

"You both have a point," she noted. "He was very harsh, and you were a tad insensitive. Pemdas."

"Shut up, I don't want you making 'pemdas, it cancels out' jokes."

"I'm just saying. When he gets back, talk it out. You both made mistakes. Fixable mistakes. Just... it's time to get over Ethan."

"I know... I know... I just... I can't stop thinking of him dying. And I get so scared I'll have to watch Lit die."

"Lit's really capable. He won't die. He's not and never has been Ethan."

"I know...."

She shrugged, and patted my shoulder. "It's gonna be okay. Come on, let's go."

Leo docked the ship at a pier in Charleston Harbor, right next to the seawall. Along the shore was a historical district with tall mansions, palm trees, and wrought iron fences. Antique cannons pointed at the water.

By the time Annabeth and I came up on deck, Jason, Frank, and Leo had already left for the museum. According to Coach Hedge, they'd promised to be back by sunset.

Piper and Hazel were ready to go, but Annabeth wanted to check on Percy first. He was leaning on the starboard rail, gazing over the bay.

"How are you?" Piper asked, coming closer.

"I'm fine," I said, shrugging. "All good."

"Are you sure?" Hazel asked. "You look exhausted."

"Meh, I didn't sleep," I said. "But it's fine."

"No, it's not fine," Piper insisted. "You sure you're good to go on this quest? You're too tired."

"I'm good, trust me. If anything starts going wrong I'll tell you, promise."

They sighed. There was no arguing with me.

Annabeth finally came back. "Okay, ladies. Let's find the ghost of the Battery."

We headed out, and right away I stopped paying attention to whatever we were doing.

Not that I minded spending the day with Hazel, Piper, and Annabeth. It was nice, truly.

But the scenery was taking my mind off everything.

According to the signs around us, the seaside park was called White Point Gardens. The ocean breeze swept away the muggy heat of the summer afternoon, and it was pleasantly cool under the shade of the palmetto trees.

Lining the road were Old Civil War cannons and bronze statues of historical figures, which made me shudder. Majestic— beautiful, but they reminded me of the statues we'd displayed in New York during the Titan War. I hadn't been with Annabeth and Percy when they enforced Daedalus's command sequence twenty three, but I'd seen the aftermath of how the statues ended up, and it was fascinating and intimidating.

Charleston Harbor glittered in the sun. To the north and south, strips of land stretched out like arms enclosing the bay, and sitting in the mouth of the harbor, about a mile out, was an island with a stone fort. I guess this must have been important, but I was no history person, and couldn't remember any details about it.

Thankfully, the park wasn't crowded. I might have flipped out with too many people around.

I guess the locals must all be out on their summer vacations or holed up at home napping.

We strolled along South Battery Street, which was lined with four story Colonial mansions— structures similar to that of my mother's house.

Gods. I hadn't even thought of my mother. How was she?

I guess I'm a more selfish person than I ever thought.

The brick walls on the houses were blanketed with ivy. The facades had soaring white columns like Roman temples, coincidentally. The front gardens were bursting with rosebuds, honeysuckle, and flowering bougainvillea.

It looked like Demeter had set a timer on all the plants to grow several decades ago, then forgot to come back and check on them. 

Thinking of the plants and Demeter made me think of Lit.

He might have made the plants grow and come towards me, like he did with the sunflower.

I hope he'll forgive me.

"Kind of reminds me of New Rome," Hazel said. It made me snap back to reality and remember I was with people. "All the big mansions and the gardens. The columns and arches."

Annabeth nodded, and looked away.

"It's all very nice," I mused, just to say something. Hazel seemed to appreciate that I acknowledged her comment.

It really was very nice. I could tell by Annabeth's face that she loved the architecture here— and was admiring every single bit of the buildings.

I liked it too, but I wasn't an architect like her.

I cared more about the structure of the brain than the structure of the world.

Gods, I sound heartless.

Maybe I am.

Piper kept looking around like she was expecting an ambush. She had said she'd seen this park in the blade of her knife, but she wouldn't elaborate.

I guessed she must be afraid to. After all, the last time Piper had tried to interpret a vision from her knife, Jason and Percy had almost killed each other in Kansas.

Annabeth looked pensive but in a sort of creepy way. I knew she had to be thinking of all that Mark of Athena stuff. I doubt I could ever handle that burden. Part of me also knew she was thinking of Nico. How we'd met him before, then lost him for awhile. She, Percy, and I understood best the turmoil he had inside him. We had to— HAD TO— save him.

Hazel seemed preoccupied. Maybe she was taking in her surroundings, or maybe she was worrying about her brother. In less than four days, unless they found him and freed him, Nico would be dead. And I did not want her to experience what I did when I lost Luke.

"There."

Piper's voice made me focus on reality again. She grabbed my arm, then pointed across the harbor.

A hundred yards out, a shimmering white figure floated on the water. At first, I thought it might be a buoy or a small boat reflecting the sunlight— but it was definitely glowing, and it was moving more smoothly than a boat, making a straight line toward us. As it got closer, I realized it was the figure of a woman.

"The ghost," I murmured.

"That's not a ghost," Hazel said. "No kind of spirit glows that brightly."

I decided to take her word for it.

Jeez, I couldn't even imagine being Hazel, dying at such a young age and coming back from the Underworld, knowing more about the dead than the living.

As if in a trance, Piper walked across the street toward the edge of the seawall, narrowly avoiding a horse drawn carriage.

"Piper!" Annabeth called.

"We'd better follow her," Hazel said.

By the time we caught up to her, the ghostly apparition was only a few yards away. Piper glared at it like the sight offended her.

"It is her," she grumbled.

I squinted ay the ghost, but it blazed too brightly to make out details. Then the apparition floated up the seawall and stopped in front of them. The glow faded.

I gasped. The woman was breathtakingly beautiful and strangely familiar. Her face was hard to describe. Her features seemed to shift from those of one glamorous movie star to another. Her eyes sparkled playfully— sometimes green or blue or amber. Her hair changed from long, straight blond to dark chocolatey curls.

The woman was dressed like a Southern belle, just as Jason had described. Her gown had a low cut bodice of pink silk and a three tiered hoop skirt with white scalloped lace. She wore tall white silk gloves, and held a feathered pink and white fan to her chest.

Everything about her seemed calculated to make me feel inadequate: the easy grace with which she wore her dress, the perfect yet understated makeup, the way she radiated feminine charm that no man could possibly resist.

It made me so self conscious. I already felt awful after what I did to Lit.

I really was a nobody.

"Aphrodite," I blurted out suddenly.

"Venus?" Hazel asked in amazement.

"Mom," Piper said, with no enthusiasm.

"Girls!" The goddess spread her arms like she wanted a group hug.

We did not oblige. Hazel backed into a palmetto tree.

"I'm so glad you're here," Aphrodite said. "War is coming. Bloodshed is inevitable. So there's really only one thing to do."

"Uh... and that is?" Annabeth ventured.

Aphrodite's eyes twinkled. "Why, have tea and chat, obviously! Come with me!"  
________________________________  
 **A/N: A lot of a shorter chapter, sorry. What did you guys think of it?**


	57. I Destroy Every Roman Weapon Ever

Aphrodite knew how to do tea.

She led us to the central pavilion in the gardens— a white pillared gazebo, where a table was set with silverware, china cups, and of course a steaming pot of tea, the fragrance shifting as easily as Aphrodite's appearance— sometimes cinnamon, or jasmine, or mint. There were plates of scones, cookies, and muffins, fresh butter and jam— all of which were probably very fattening; unless of course you were Aphrodite.

Aphrodite sat— or held court, rather— in a wicker peacock chair. She poured tea and served cakes without getting a speck on her clothes, her posture always perfect, her smile dazzling.

Good gods she's a Barbie.

"Oh my sweet girls," the goddess said. "I do love Charleston! The weddings I've attended in this gazebo— they bring tears to my eyes. And the elegant balls in the days of the Old South. Ah, they were lovely. Many of these mansions still have statues of me in their gardens, though they called me Venus."

"Which are you?" Annabeth asked. "Venus or Aphrodite?"

The goddess sipped her tea. Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Annabeth Chase, you've grown into quite a beautiful young lady. You really should do something with your hair, though. Lydia Castellan, my my, you and your brother do make good use of those gorgeous eyes, but I'm afraid you still have your bad habit of constantly tying your hair up and refusing to wear makeup. And, Hazel Levesque, your clothes—"

"My clothes?" Hazel looked down at her rumpled denim, not self consciously, but baffled, as if she couldn't imagine what was wrong with them.

"Mother!" Piper said. "You're embarrassing me."

"Well, I don't see why," the goddess said. "Just because you don appreciate my fashion tips, Piper, doesn't mean the others won't."

"I don't," I muttered under my breath.

Aphrodite didn't hear me. "I could do a quick makeover for Annabeth, Lydia, and Hazel— perhaps silk ball gowns like mine—"

"Mother!"

"Fine," Aphrodite sighed. "To answer your question, Annabeth, I am both Aphrodite and Venus. Unlike many of my fellow Olympians, I changed hardly at all from one age to the other. In fact, I like to think I haven't aged a bit!"

Her fingers fluttered around her face appreciatively and I gagged mentally. "Love is love, after all, whether you're Greek or Roman. The civil war won't affect me as much as it will the others."

Hazel nibbled a sugar cookie. "We're not in a war yet, my lady."

"Oh dear Hazel." Aphrodite folded her fan. "Such optimism, yet you have heartrending days ahead of you. Of course war is coming. Love and war always go together. They are the peaks of human emotion! Evil and good, beauty and ugliness."

Hazel set down her cookie. She had a few crumbs on her chin, and I liked that Hazel could give less fucks about it.

"What do you mean," Hazel asked, "heartrending days?"

The goddess laughed as if Hazel were a cute puppy. "Well, Annabeth and Lydia could give you some idea. I once promised to make their love lives interesting. And didn't I?"

Annabeth looked like she might snap. I knew she'd liked Luke for a long time, but he'd only ever seen her as a little sister because face it, she was my age. Then she had had to fight Rachel for Percy, briefly. Then she got Percy and he disappeared.

I wanted to snap too. First I had Ethan and he died, right in front of me. The last thing he saw was my face and his hand touched mine, knowing I'd never catch him in time. Then, Lit. And gods, I seemed to have screwed that up too.

"Interesting," Annabeth said through gritted teeth, "is a mild way of putting it."

"Well, I can't take credit for all your troubles," the goddess said, looking directly at me. "But I do love twists and turns in a love story. Oh, all of you are such excellent stories— I mean, girls. You do me proud!"

"Mother," Piper said in exasperation, "is there a reason you're here?"

"Hmm? Oh, you mean besides the tea? I often come here. I love the view, the food, the atmosphere— you can just smell the romance and heartbreak in the air, can't you? Centuries of it."

She pointed to a nearby mansion. "Do you see that rooftop balcony? We had a party there the night the American Civil War began. The shelling of Fort Sumter."

"That's it," Annabeth said. "The island in the harbor. That's where the first fighting of the Civil War happened. The Confederates shelled the Union troops and took the fort."

"Oh, such a party!" Aphrodite said. A string quartet, and all the men in their elegant new officers' uniforms. The women's dresses— you should've seen them! I danced with Aries— or was he Mars? I'm afraid I was a little giddy. And the beautiful bursts of light across the harbor, the roar of the cannons giving the men an excuse to put their arms around their frightened sweethearts!"

Annabeth looked so pissed off, I shivered. Now that she stirred my memory I knew how awful it had all been. "You're talking about the beginning of the bloodiest war in US history. Over six hundred thousand people died— more Americans than in World War I and World War II combined."

"And the refreshments!" Aphrodite continued. "Oh, they were divine. General Beauregard himself made an appearance. He was such a scoundrel. He was on his second wife, then, but you should've seen the way he looked at Lisbeth Cooper—"

"Mother!" Piper tossed her scone to the pigeons.

"Yes, sorry," the goddess said. "To make the story short, I'm here to help you, girls. I doubt you'll be seeing Hera much. Your little quest has hardly made her welcome in the throne room. And the other gods are rather indisposed, as you know, torn between their Roman and Greek sides. Some more than others." Aphrodite fixed her gaze on Annabeth. "I suppose you've told your friends about your falling out with your mother?"

Annabeth look like she'd been slapped in the face. She hadn't told me anything, I knew that for certain. Hazel and Piper stared at her curiously.

"Falling out?" Hazel asked.

"An argument," Annabeth said quietly. "It's nothing."

"Nothing!" The goddess said. "Well, I don't know about that. Athena was the most Greek of all goddesses. The patron of Athens, after all. When the Romans took over... Oh, they adopted Athena after a fashion. She became Minerva, the goddess of crafts and cleverness. But the Romans had other war gods who were more to their taste, more reliably Roman— like Bellona—"

"Reyna's mom," Piper muttered.

"Yes, indeed," the goddess agreed. "I had a lovely talk with Reyna a while back, right here in the park. And the Romans had Mars, of course. And later, there was Mithras— not even properly Greek or Roman, but the legionnaires were crazy about his cult. I always found him crass and terribly nouveau dieu, personally. At any rate, the Romans quite sidelined poor Athena. They took away most of her military importance. The Greeks never forgave the Romans for that insult. Neither did Athena."

"The Mark of Athena," Annabeth said suddenly. "It leads to a statue, doesn't it? It leads to... to the statue."

I had no idea what Annabeth was talking about, but Aphrodite smiled. "You are clever, like your mother. Understand, though, your siblings, the children of Athena, have been searching for centuries. None has succeeded in recovering the statue. In the meantime, they've been keeping alive the Greek feud with the Romans. Every civil war... so much bloodshed and heartbreak... has been orchestrated largely by Athena's children."

"That's..." Annabeth trailed off.

"Romantic?" Aphrodite offered. "Yes, I suppose it is."

"But..." Annabeth seemed to be struggling to form words. "The Mark of Athena— how does it work? Is it a series of clues, or a trail set by Athena—"

"Hmm." Aphrodite looked politely bored. "I couldn't say. I don't believe Athena created the Mark consciously. If she knew where her statue was, she simply tell you where to find it. No... I'd guess the Mark is more like a spiritual trail of breadcrumbs. It's a connection between the statue in the children of the goddess. The statue wants to be found, you see, but it can only be freed by the most worthy."

"And for thousands of years," Annabeth said, "no one has managed."

"Wait," I cut in, "what statue are we talking about?"

The goddess left. "Oh, I'm sure Annabeth can fill you in. At any rate, the clue you need is close by: a map of sorts, left for the children of Athena in 1861— a remembrance that will start you on your path, once you reach Rome. But as you said, Annabeth Chase, no one has ever succeeded in following the Mark of Athena to its end. There you will face your worst fear— the fear of every child of Athena. And even if you survive, how will you use your reward? For war or for peace?"

"This map," Annabeth said., "where is it?"

"Guys!" Hazel pointed at the sky.

Circling above the palmetto cheese were too large Eagles. Higher up, descending rapidly, was a flying chariot pulled by pegasi.

I immediately began to panic. Lit's diversion hadn't worked. Especially not for long. If they reached us already, where was he? Why wasn't I able to see him anywhere near us? Was he alive? I swear, if he's hurt—

Aphrodite spread butter on a muffin as if she had all the time in the world. "Oh, the map is at Fort Sumter, of course." She pointed her butter knife toward the island across the harbor. 0It looks like the Romans have arrived to cut you off. I'd get back to your ship in a hurry if I would if I were you. Would you care for some tea cakes to go?"

"No thanks," I said, leaping out of my chair.

"Ah, by the way, Lydia!" Aphrodite called as the other girls bolted the way we'd come. "It's not over yet. He will understand."

I felt my cheeks redden. She giggled and waved, and only then did I snap out of what felt like a trance and sprint back to the ship.

Okay, long story short, we didn't make it back.

Halfway across the dock, three giant eagles descended in front of us. Each deposited a Roman commando in purple and denim with glittering gold armor, sword, and shield. The eagles flew away, and the Roman in the middle, who was scrawnier than the others, raised his visor.

Ew. Octavian.

"Surrender to Rome!" He shrieked.

I whipped out Slasher, and Hazel drew her cavalry sword. "Fat chance, Octavian!" Hazel said.

"We are definitely not listening to your scarecrow ass," I hissed.

I looked sideways at Annabeth and noticed she seemed to be uncertain about fighting. I knew if it was Octavian by himself, one of us might have already killed him, but her gaze was fixated on the two other guys behind him— big, strong looking, probably seasoned warriors. I almost immediately knew she was debating fighting them since she and Piper only had daggers and that combat was too close for comfort.

Piper seemed to have other plans. She raised her hands in a placating gesture. "Octavian, what happened at camp was a setup. We can explain."

"Can't hear you!" Octavian yelled. "Wax in our ears— standard procedure when battling evil sirens. Now, throw down your weapons and turn around slowly so I can bind your hands."

"Let me skewer him," Hazel muttered. "Please."

The ship was only fifty feet away, but I saw no sign of Coach Hedge on deck. He was probably below, watching his stupid martial arts programs. Jason's group wasn't due back until sunset, and Percy was underwater.

Time to come up with a plan. Currently, eagles were circling overhead, crying out as if to alert their brethren: Hey, some tasty Greek demigods over here! I didn't see a flying chariot anymore, but I knew it had to be close by.

"Well?" Octavian demanded.

"Me first," I said, stalling time for myself and the others. Someone had to be able to come up with a plan. "I have the most weapons."

I dropped Slasher at my feet, then lifted my shirt as far up as it'd go, which evidently flashed my bra and the knife belt I tucked under— the gift from my father I hardly used. I hadn't replenished the knives I lost back when we'd been in the Labyrinth, so I rarely brought it anywhere with me anymore. Let's face it, despite me being an excellent knife thrower, fighting someone with a sword is a lot more entertaining.

This caused the distraction we needed. While the guys behind Octavian (and Octavian, ew) were busy staring at my chest and stomach while I slowly undid the knife belt, Annabeth seemed to come up with a plan, because when her turn came, she tossed her dagger as far as she could into the water.

This seemed to make the guys (and thankfully, Octavian) stop staring at me.

"What was that for?" Octavian squeaked. "I didn't say toss it! That could've been evidence. Or spoils of war!"

Annabeth smiled as if to say, "Oh, silly me." I wasn't fooled, because I knew her too well. Octavian seemed to buy it. He huffed in exasperation.

"You other two..." he pointed his blade at Hazel and Piper. "Put your weapons on the dock. No funny bus—"

Just as Charleston Harbor erupted like a Las Vegas fountain around the Romans, I dove down and grabbed my knife belt, then fastened it.

By the time the wall of seawater subsided, I had Slasher in my hand, and the three Romans were in the bay, spluttering and frantically trying to stay afloat in their armor.

Percy stood on the dock, holding Annabeth's dagger. "You dropped this," he said, totally poker faced.

Annabeth threw her arms around him. "I love you!"

Gods, it was so easy for them. They're too cute. Percabeth for life.

"Guys," Hazel interrupted. She had a little smile on her face. "We need to hurry."

Down in the water, Octavian yelled, "Get me out of here! I'll kill you!"

"Tempting," Percy called down.

"What?" Octavian shouted. He was holding on to one of his guards, who was having trouble keeping them both afloat.

"Nothing!" Percy shouted back. "Let's go, guys."

Hazel frowned. "We can't let them drown, can we?"

"They won't," Percy promised. "I've got the water circulating around their feet. As soon as we're out of range, I'll spit them ashore."

Piper grinned. "Nice." For good measure, I high fived Percy.

We climbed aboard the Argo II, and Annabeth ran to the helm. "Piper, get below. Use the sink in the gallery for an Iris message. Warn Jason and get back here!"

Piper nodded and raced off.

"Hazel, go find Coach Hedge and tell him to get his furry hindquarters on deck!"

"Right!"

"Lydia, Percy, we beed to get this ship to Fort Sumter. Lydia— if Romans come, you need to go back on the dock and hold them off."

"Got it," I said.

Just like that, we got to work. I took the helm first, muttering to myself as my hands flew around the controls, my brain tingling as I unlocked some of the emergency gears Leo had told me about. Annabeth would tell me to do a particular maneuver and I'd do my best with it, hoping I knew enough about the controls to do it.

Annabeth and I had seen Percy control full sized sailing ships before with only his willpower. This time, he didn't disappoint.

Ropes flew on their own, releasing the dock ties, weighing the anchor. The sails unfurled and caught the wind.

Meanwhile, Annabeth and I fired up the engine. The oars extended with a sound like machine gun fire, and the Argo II turned from the dock, heading for the island in the distance.

The three eagles circled overhead, but they made no attempt to land on the ship, probably because I'd activated Festus to blow fire at them whenever they got too close. More eagles were flying in formation toward Fort Sumter— at least a dozen. If each of them carried a Roman demigod, we were very out numbered.

Coach Hedge came pounding up the stairs with Hazel at his hooves.

"Where are they?" He demanded. "Who do I kill?"

"No killing!" Annabeth ordered. "Just defend the ship!"

"But they interrupted a Chuck Norris movie!"

Piper emerged from below. "Got a message through to Jason. Kind of fuzzy, but he's already on his way. He should be— oh! There!"

Soaring over the city, heading in our direction , was a giant bald eagle, unlike the golden Roman birds.

"Frank!" Hazel said.

Leo was holding on to the eagle's feet, and even from the ship, I could hear him screaming and cursing.

Behind them flew Jason, riding the wind.

"Never seen Jason fly before," Percy grumbled. "He looks like a blond Superman."

"Hey, not the time for this!" I said sharply. "You're drowning Romans so who cares, you're both powerful."

"Look!" Piper cried. "They're in trouble!"

Sure enough, the Roman flying chariot had descended from a cloud and was diving straight toward them. Jason and Frank veered out if the way, pulling up to avoid getting trampled by the pegasi. The charioteers fired their bows. Arrows whistled under Leo's feet, which led to more screaming and cursing. Jason and Frank were forced to overshoot the Argo II and fly toward Fort Sumter.

"I'll get them!" Yelled Coach Hedge.

He spun the port ballista and my eyes widened. "HEDGE, NO!" I screamed.

Too late. A flaming spear rocketed toward the chariot. It exploded over the heads of the pegasi and threw them into a panic. I could see it singed Frank's wings, and set him spiraling out of control. Leo slipped from his grasp. The chariot shot toward Fort Sumter, slamming into Jason.

We watched in horror as Jason— obviously dazed and in pain— lunged for Leo, caught him, then struggled to gain altitude. He only managed to slow their fall. They disappeared behind the ramparts of the fort. Frank tumbled after them. Then the chariot dropped somewhere inside and hit with a bone shattering CRACK! One broken wheel spun into the air.

"DAMN IT, HEDGE!" I snarled, gunning the engines as Hedge protested. I didn't listen to him. The hull shuddered as we picked up speed. The docks of the island were only a hundred yards away now, but a dozen more eagles were soaring overhead, each carrying a Roman demigod in its claws. 

"Percy," Annabeth said, "we're going to come in hard. I need you to control the water so we don't smash into the docks. Once we're there, you'll have to hold off the attackers. The rest of you help him guard the ship."

"But— Jason!" Piper said.

"Frank and Leo!" Hazel added.

"I'm getting to that," Annabeth promised. "I've got to figure out where the map is and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who can do that. Lydia will come with me as far as she can then find Jason, Leo, and Frank and teleport them back."

"The fort is crawling with Romans," Percy said, looking worried. "Are you going to be okay?"

I knew he was mostly talking to Annabeth.

"Just an average day," Annabeth said, then kissed him. "Whatever you do, don't let them take this ship!"

Annabeth grabbed my arm, and in an instant I teleported us straight to the nearest stretch of ground, and we broke into a run.

Leo seemed to have escaped his fall unharmed as we neared the Fort. I could see him ducking from portico to portico, blasting fire at the giant eagles swooping down on him. Roman demigods tried to chase him, tripping over pules of cannonballs and dodging tourists, who screamed and ran in circles.

Tour guides kept yelling, "it's just a re-enactment!"

Gods the Mist is powerful.

I couldn't see Frank anywhere— unless he was the elephant that came around the corner? Jason was sword fighting with a stocky centurion whose lips were stained cherry red, like blood. Ah, the Kool Aid addict they mentioned.

"Sorry about this, Dakota!" Jason yelled. He vaulted straight over his head like an acrobat snd slammed the hilt of his gladius into the back of the Roman's head. 

"Jason!" I yelled.

"Annabeth! Lydia!" He yelled.

Annabeth nodded to me and bolted away, and I ran to Jason. Leo stumbled towards us, and the elephant morphed into Frank, who limped towards us.

"Come on!" I grabbed their hands and in an instant we appeared on deck.

Jason ran to Percy, and the two began working together— summoning the sky and the sea to do their bidding. Leo ran to the helm and Frank stumbled back.

"You're hurt," I said, "come on, sit down."

"No, I need to help—"

"Frank you've got a second degree burn on your fighting arm, SIT DOWN."

He reluctantly sat.

I went to the deck, and decided I need to try and break the weapons.

I breathed deeply.

I could see inside mechanisms— their weapons. Every weak spot was apparent— I could break them with my mind, simply.

But I couldn't help but remember last time I'd used this— to rip Enceladus's heart apart last winter.  
  


Enceladus licked his lips. "You are just... a murderer... you are no hero... this that you have done... is not a power of a demigod... you are a monster....you belong... in Tartarus... and you will DIE... and Olympus will die with—"  
  


I wasn't hurting anyone. Just the weapons. Inanimate objects...

I raised my arms and concentrated.

All around the dock, spears snapped in half. Shields fell apart (which was surprising to me). The armor came undone, leaving it so it couldn't possibly be prepared.

By the time Annabeth came back, we'd gotten the Romans all under control.

"GO, GO, GO!" Annabeth screamed as she jumped back on deck with Piper's help.

The engines rumbled and the oars churned.

Jason changed the course of the wind and Percy called up a massive wave, which lifted the ship higher than the fort's walls and pushed it out to sea. By the time the Argo II reached top speed, Fort Sumter was only a blot in the distance, and we were racing across the waves toward the ancient lands.

"Thank gods that's over," I said, sitting down and wiping my forehead. I looked up at everyone, finally able to think again. "Did Lit come back?"

They all stared blankly at me.

I felt my stomach churn. "You mean he's not back?"

"N-No," Hazel stammered. "No— I didn't see him anywhere."

I think I fainted.


	58. Thank You, Athena, Very Cool

When I opened my eyes, I felt like throwing up.

I careened my body off the bed, and grabbed the trash can next to my cabinet, but simply managed a measly wad of spit.

My eyes were watery and I kept feeling my stomach churning. I gasped for air, and realized I was seasick— which made me notice my room was moving a lot, rocking like the sea.

"Ugh..." I lay back on my bed and covered my face. "Fuck you, seasickness!"

No one responded (thankfully).

I curled up on my side and hugged my pillow, moaning in pain and squeezing my eyes shut.

I heard the doorknob rattle. Maybe someone was coming to explain why the hell the ship was moving so much.

"Annabeth?" I called weakly.

I heard the lock be picked and slowly opened my eyes, groaning as I forced myself to sit up.

As soon as I saw a figure in the doorway, I squinted. My vision still wasn't very clear.

"Hey, Lydia."

I blinked a few times.

Then I let out a strangled gasp.

"What happened to you?" I whispered.

He had a large gash on his forehead, and his arm was in a sling. His face was covered in dirt, and his hair had branches all over it. His right eye looked bruised, and his lip was swollen.

I started to get up, and Lit held his hands up to motion me to stop. "Lydia, it's fine—"

But I didn't listen. I forced myself up and limped to him, then cupped his face in my hands.

"I'm fine," he said. "Really— I'm—"

I didn't listen. I took his arm and led him to the bathroom, where I sat him over the toilet. My nausea seemed to fade— all I care about was making sure he was okay. I withdrew the First Aid Kit and cleaned his gash, then placed a finger over it to close it.

"Lydia, can we talk—?"

"When you're not looking like you ran through a battlefield."

I tenderly examined his arm, and fed him some ambrosia before healing it magically. I cleaned his face and helped him wash it, then combed out his hair. I tapped his eye, then his lip, and made the swelling and bruising disappear. I removed his dirty shirt and found more small scratches across his chest. I sighed and cleaned those too, then gently pressed a washcloth on them.

"Any other injuries I should know about?" I asked, looking up.

"No."

I sat back on the floor, and looked at him.

"So.... what's going on above deck?" I asked.

"Um... I don't really know. I saw a sea monster but—"

"Sea monster?" I shrieked, getting up. "We have to—"

"They can handle it, trust me."

He looked like he was serious. I slowly sat back down.

"Lydia," he said immediately. "Baby, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"I should be the one apologizing," I cut in. I wasn't going to let my confidence waver now. "I didn't realize I was comparing you so much. I thought... well I thought that was my way of making sure I didn't hurt you. I thought if I held off on telling you anything, I would be protecting you or something."

He seemed to want to speak but I held up my hand for him to stay silent.

"I shouldn't have kept associating you with Ethan. I was traumatized, and I let it affect my relationship with you. That shouldn't have happened. You're not like him, I know that. And well, you are really badass and capable and I didn't consider that, I'm sorry. Feeling like this is still new to me and I was just concerned. I'm sorry, Lit. I really am sorry."

He looked at me for a long time without saying anything, and for a moment I thought I'd screwed it up, I'd made it so he wanted to dump me.

"I shouldn't have called him an idiot," he said. "I was the one who told you that you didn't have to forget him for me. And I went back on that. I know how you feel and I should've respected that and not been rude when you were just showing you cared about me. Lydia I am truly sorry..."

I sat up, and kneeled in front of him, pulling his face down to kiss him firmly. He kissed back immediately, and gripped my hips, his tongue immediately forcing itself into my mouth.

"I love you," he mumbled against my lips. "You take your time to say it back but just... remember that I'm not going to die."

I nodded. "I do... I really do I just... the words. They're still not easy for me even after all the talking and thinking..."

"I know. I know. And I won't hold that against you. Why don't we try to rest?"

"While the others are fighting sea monsters?"

"I just need you right now."

I blushed and nodded, helping him up. I led him to my bed and we curled up, me holding him in my chest and stroking his hair.

"I'm really sorry," I whispered. "Really I am."

"I'm sorry too," he said back. I leaned down to kiss his forehead and continued caressing each strand of his hair until he fell asleep.

What with the boat now steadier rocking, and Lit's quiet snoring, I should have been able to fall asleep.

But I couldn't. All I could think about were my miserable attempts to say it back.

Yes, part of it was still and always would be the fact I didn't want to jinx it. I knew of course Ethan and Luke had both signed their death warrants already when I said it, but the events put together made a flashbulb memory I simply couldn't ignore. I remembered every detail of both moments.

Lit looked so peaceful. Precious.

But how long would we even last in general? I could die just as easily as him. What if I died and left him without having ever said it? Would that be better than me saying it just before I die?

I felt so vulnerable. Like I was going to officially sign away a piece of me when I told him. Even with how amazing this was, we'd jumped into it so fast. Our first kiss was less than half a month after we met. We started an official relationship before we even hit six months of knowing each other.

What if it wasn't going to last? Was I ready to tie myself down to it? As short as those three words are it was difficult for me to forget the fact it was a commitment. They were so overused and not given the meaning they should. People tossed them around so carelessly.

I wanted it to have meaning. I wanted the moment I told him to be important.

And it wasn't because of Ethan, or Luke. It was because of me.

When I was certain he was fully asleep (which I deduced from his snores becoming louder), I brushed some hair out of his face.

"I love you," I whispered, so softly he would only hear it if he was faking sleep. "I love you so, so much. But I'm... I'm so afraid this will all go to nothing if I say it too soon. I'm so sorry..."

He simply snored in reply.

___________

By the time the sun rose, no one else had slept. Apparently Hazel, Frank, and Leo were missing. Percy had been scouring the seafloor and had found nothing. The Argo II had been frantically repaired by the others but they'd need Leo and I's help to keep sailing. 

Apparently Piper and Annabeth had sent Chiron a dream vision about what happened at Fort Sumter and a vision Piper had had of SUVs with Romans heading to the camp.

"I'm really sorry," I said as Lit and I went onto the deck. "I um... I should have come up and helped."

"No, it's okay," Piper said gently. "You were feeling sick and Lit needed help. At least you can help now. I was pretty useless so, you're fine."

"You weren't useless," I countered. "You told Chiron what to prepare. That was really important."

She half smiled.

"THERE THEY ARE!"

We all whipped toward the starboard bow, where Annabeth was pointing at three giant pink bubbles that burst at the surface and ejected Frank, Hazel, and Leo.

I think it's safe to say Piper went a little crazy. She cried out in relief and dove straight into the water without a rope or life vest or anything.

"Piper!" I cried, running to the edge of the ship and looking down. She was paddling over to Leo. As soon as she reached him, she kissed him on the cheek.

"That's new," Percy said.

"Not really," Jason noted. "But sort of."

Once we managed to get the others on board (thank you, Percy), Lit and I got them some dry clothes and had them change. We then gathered on the quarterdeck for a celebratory breakfast— except for Coach Hedge, who grumbled that the atmosphere was as getting too cuddly for his tastes and went below to hammer out some dents in the hull. While Leo fussed over his helm controls, Hazel and Frank talked about some fish-centaurs and their training camp.

"Incredible," Jason said, taking a bite of the brownies the fish centaurs had sent back for us. "These are really good brownies."

"That's your only comment?" Piper demanded.

He looked surprised. "What? I heard the story. Fish centaurs. Merpeople. Letter of intro to the Tiber River god. Got it. But these brownies—"

"I know," Frank said, his mouth full. "Try them with Esther's peach preserves."

"Don't forget the whipped cream," Lit added, spraying it all over his already-bathed-in-Esther's peach preserves brownie.

"That," Hazel said, "is incredibly disgusting."

"Pass me the jar and the can," Jason said politely.

Piper, Hazel, and I exchanged a look of total exasperation and frankly, some embarrassment too.

Percy seemed to want to hear every detail about the aquatic camp. He kept coming back to one point: "They didn't want to meet me?"

"It wasn't that," Hazel said. "Just... undersea politics, I guess. The merpeople are territorial. The good news is they're taking care of that aquarium in Atlanta. And they'll help protect the Argo II as we cross the Atlantic."

Percy nodded absently. "But they didn't want to meet me?"

Annabeth swatted his arm. "Come on, Seaweed Brain! We've got other things to worry about."

"She's right," Hazel said. "After today, Nico has less than two days. The fish centaurs said we have to rescue him. He's essential to the quest somehow."

She looked around defensively, as if waiting for someone to argue like they did last time.

"We'd save him even if he wasn't essential to the quest," I promised. "Don't worry, Hazel, we'll save him."

"Nico must have information about the Doors of Death," Piper mused. "We can make it in time. Right, Leo?"

"What?" Leo tore his eyes away from the controls. "Oh, yeah. We should reach the Mediterranean by tomorrow morning. Then spend the rest of that day sailing to Rome, or flying, if I can get the stabilizer fixed by then..."

Jason suddenly looked as though his brownie with peach preserves and whipped cream didn't taste so good. "Which will put us in Rome on the last possible day for Nico. Twenty four hours to find him— at most."

"Well we have Lydia," Piper said as optimistically as she could, though I sensed something was bothering her. She looked nervous, as if she'd seen something bad in her knife. "We have an advantage to locating Nico."

Percy crossed his legs. "And that's only part of the problem. There's the Mark of Athena too."

Annabeth didn't seem happy with the change of topic. She rested her hand on her backpack, which, since we'd left Charleston, she always seemed to have with her.

She opened the bag and brought out a thin bronze disk the diameter of a donut. "This is the map that I found at Fort Sumter. It's—" she stopped abruptly, staring at the disk. "It's blank!"

I took it and examined both sides. "You sure it wasn't like this earli— wait, nevermind." I furrowed my eyebrows and stared intently at the disk, blinking a few times.

"Nevermind what?" Annabeth asked.

"I was thinking the surface wasn't made to even hold any print of any sort but looking inside it— it has nothing but pure magic which is really blinding in a painful way."

"It must be like the Mark of Athena, then," Annabeth mumbled. "I can only see it when I'm alone. It won't show itself to other demigods."

Frank scooted back like the disk might explode. He had an orange juice mustache and a brownie crumb beard that made me want to hand him a napkin.

"What did it have on it?" He asked nervously. "And what is the Mark of Athena? I still don't get it."

Annabeth took the disk from me, turning it in the sunlight. "The map was hard to read, but it showed a spot on the Tiber River in Rome. I think that's where my quest starts... the path I've got to take to follow the Mark."

"Maybe that's where you meet the river god Tiberinus," Piper said. "But what is the Mark?"

"The coin," Annabeth murmured.

Percy frowned. "What coin?"

Annabeth dug into her pocket and brought out a silver drachma. "I've been carrying this ever since I saw my mom at Grand Central. It's an Athenian coin."

She passed it around for us to see.

"An owl," Leo noted. "Well that makes sense. I guess the branch is an olive branch? But what's the inscription, AΘE— Area Of Effect?"

"It's alpha, theta, epsilon," Annabeth said. "In Greek it stands for Of The Athenians... or you could read it as the children of Athena. It's sort of the Athenian motto."

"Like SPQR for the Romans," I mused.

Annabeth nodded. "Anyway, the Mark of Athena is an owl, just like that one. It appears in fiery red. I've seen it in my dreams, then twice at Fort Sumter."

She described what had happened to her at the fort— the voice of Gaea, the spiders in the garrison, the Mark burning them away. I could tell it was really hard for her to talk about it.

Percy took her hand. "I should have been there for you."

"But that's the point," Annabeth said. "No one can be there for me. When I get to Rome, I'll have to strike out on my own. Otherwise, the Mark won't appear. I'll have to follow it to... to the source."

Frank took the coin from Leo, and stared at the owl. "The giants' bane stands gold and pale, Won through pain from a woven jail." He looked up at Annabeth. "What is it.. this thing at the source?"

Jason answered before Annabeth could. "A statue. A statue of Athena. At least... that's my guess."

Piper frowned. "You said you didn't know."

"I don't," he said. "But the more I think about it... there's only one artifact that could fit the legend." He turned to Annabeth. "I'm sorry. I should have told you everything I've heard, much earlier. But honestly, I was scared. If this legend is true—"

"I know," Annabeth said. "I figured it out, Jason. I don't blame you. But if we manage to save the statue, Greek and Romans together... don't you see? It could heal the rift."

"Wait a minute," I said, furrowing my eyebrows. "Annabeth, do you mean— what Chiron told us when we were little... it was real?"

She nodded. "As real as this ship."

"Hold on." Percy made a time out gesture. "What statue? And what did Chiron tell you when you were little?"

Annabeth took back the silver coin and slipped it into her pocket. "The Athena Parthenos. The most famous Greek statue of all time. It was forty feet tall, covered in ivory and gold. It stood in the middle of the Parthenon in Athens."

The ship went silent, except for the waves lapping against the hull.

"Okay, I'll bite," Leo said at last. "What happened to it?"

"It disappeared," Annabeth said.

Leo frowned. "How does a forty foot tall statue in the middle of the Parthenon just disappear?" 

"That's a good question," Annabeth said. "It's one of the biggest mysteries in history. Some people thought the statue was melted down for its gold, or destroyed by invaders. Athens was sacked a number of times. Some thought the statue was carried off—"

"By Romans," Jason finished. "At least, that's one theory, and it fits the legend I heard at Camp Jupiter. To break the Greeks' spirit, the Romans carted off the Athena Parthenos when they took over the city of Athens. They hid it in an underground shrine in Rome. The Roman demigods swore it would never see the light of day. They literally stole Athena, so she could no longer be the symbol of Greek military power. She became Minerva, a much tamer goddess."

"That's exactly what Chiron told us," I mumbled. "He said it was the Romans. I remember Annabeth got mad and he told her it wasn't her time to do anything about it yet. He told us that children of Athena have been searching for the statue ever since it disappeared."

"Exactly," Annabeth said. "Most don't know about the legend, but in each generation, a few are chosen by the goddess. They're given a coin like mine. They follow the Mark of Athena... a kind of magical trail that links them to the statue... hoping to find the resting place of the Athena Parthenos and get the statue back."

Jason nodded. Honestly, I was surprised they could talk about this so calmly— without hostility or blame. I knew they'd never truly trusted each other, but they were both leaders and they had to set that aside for this. Maybe there was hope for the two camps, after all.

Percy seemed to be having similar thoughts as me, judging from his surprised expression. "So if we— I mean you— find the statue... what would we do with it? Could we even move it?"

"I'm not sure," Annabeth admitted. "But if we could save it somehow, it could unite the two camps. It could heal my mother of this hatred she's got, tearing her two aspects apart. And maybe... maybe the statue has some sort of power that could help us against the giants."

"This could change everything," Piper said. "It could end thousands of years of hostility. It might be the key to defeating Gaea. But if we can't help you..."

Annabeth nodded slowly. "I have to succeed. The risk is worth it."

Hazel twirled her hair pensively. "I don't like the idea of you risking your life alone, but you're right. We saw what recovering the golden eagle standard did for the Roman legion. If this statue is the most powerful symbol of Athena ever created—"

"It could kick some serious booty," Leo offered.

Hazel frowned. "That wasn't the way I'd put it, but yes."

"Except..." Percy took Annabeth's hand again. "No child of Athena has ever found it. Annabeth, what's down there? What's guarding it? If it's got to do with spiders?—?"

"Won through pain from a woven jail," Frank recalled. "Woven, like webs?"

Annabeth's face turned as white as printer paper. I suspected she knew exactly what awaited her— or at least she had a very good idea.

"Saving the statue is possible," I said, knowing she was holding down a wave of panic and terror. "It has to be. It isn't a coincidence that this generation it's Annabeth's task, and it isn't a coincidence that we happen to be fighting Gaea and the giants at the same time. It will happen. We will help as much as possible. Annabeth, you can do this. We believe in you."

"It's going to work out," Piper said. I sensed she put some charmspeak in her voice. "Lydia's right. Annabeth is going to kick some serious booty, too. You'll see."

"Yeah," Percy said. "I learned a long time ago: Never bet against Annabeth."

Annabeth looked at us gratefully. I took Lit's hand instinctively, and breathed out.

Judging from our half-eaten breakfast, we all still felt uneasy; but Leo managed to shake us out of it. He pushed a button, and a loud blast of steam exploded from Festus's mouth, making everyone jump.

"Well!" He said. "Good pep rally, but there's still a ton of things to fix on this ship before we get to the Mediterranean. Please report to Supreme Commander Leo for your superfun list of chores!"


	59. Hercules Is A Zero, Not A Hero

After Lit and I spent about two hours cleaning every last bit of the dining hall, we went back to my room.

"I never want to scrub those walls ever again," Lit grumbled, rubbing his eyes. "Standing that close to those bright ass images of the camp is going to fuck up my vision permanently."

I let out a small laugh, still massaging my hand from having to scrub the table so hard to get some stains off of it.

Not the best task, Leo.

"Say," Lit said, checking his watch. "We still have about three more hours til elongated-nap-time."

"Elongated nap time? Just say bed time, it takes less effort."

"Elongated nap time. Or I could say extended nap."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Your point is?"

"You have time to teach me to throw knives."

In all my time knowing him I had never seen him give me puppy dog eyes the way he did right then and there.

"You, the _swordfighter_ , want to learn to throw knives?" I asked quizzically. "You hate knives."

"I don't _hate_ them I just think they're sort of useless because they're so tiny. But now I want to learn to throw knives."

"What brought that on?"

"Um... maybe the fact I got knives thrown at me from the air by the Romans. I think it's a sign I should learn it."

"Damn right you should," I said, undoing my knife belt. "I learned knives before I learned sword. I think everyone should follow that path— it teaches you the precision that comes in handy with other bulkier weapons."

He shrugged. "You're the teacher. Teach me."

He wiggled his eyebrows and I rolled my eyes.

"Are you imitating Lexie from Grey's Anatomy?" I inquired.

"Mmm, maybe," he replied.

"I'm not going to kiss you."

"Oh definitely not. It isn't safe if knives will be flying around."

I rolled my eyes and handed him a knife, then went to the other side to sketch a target on the wall with a red sharpie I found lingering on my desk.

"Make it interesting you nerd," he joked. "Put a brain there, and I'll give you parts to throw it at."

"This is for you, not for me. But it's a nice challenge for another day."

I showed him my stance and he tried to imitate it. I had to fix his hand a few times before I had him actually start throwing knives.

"Good," I said, "now release."

He threw it, and sighed as it bounced off the wall.

"You're not flicking it enough," I said. "Watch my hand." I demonstrated a throw.

"I swear I just did that!" He shrieked in a very unmanly way.

"No you didn't," I laughed. "You went like _this_."

"How is that even different?"

"Thumb placement! Your thumb is important."

"Really? I had no idea."

"Stop being a smartass and try again."

He did, and the throw was a bit better, but it didn't stick yet.

"It bounced off the target so you're improving. But you're still not letting it flick enough— put more force into it."

He bit his lip and narrowed his eyes at the target, and threw the knife as hard as he could.

It flew across the room and slammed against the wall, then skidded back to us across the floor.

"Not that hard," I said. "You're trying to get the knife to pierce vital organs and kill them slowly, not give them a concussion."

"Who the hell is 'them?' It's a target!"

"But think of it as a possible real person."

Let's just say Lit didn't enjoy the next three hours as much as he thought he was going to.

After a lot of technique training and throwing and making dents all over the wall, he managed to lodge a total of two knives onto the target, though they were far off center and barely sticking firm.

"I'm awful," he groaned as he collapsed on my bed, now dressed in only his boxers for his 'elongated nap time.'

"No you're not," I said, patting his (very muscular) back. "I've seen way worse."

I climbed into bed with him, and he immediately pulled me into his chest, where I nuzzled in and sighed.

"I love you," he yawned before kissing my forehead.

I didn't say it back until I was certain he was asleep.

___________

The next morning I was awakened by a different ship's horn— a blast so loud it literally shook me out of bed.

I shrieked as I fell, and Lit stumbled out from the other end.

"Is that Leo or someone else?" Lit yelled as the horn boomed again.

"It sounds far away— I doubt it's him!"

By the time we sprinted up to the deck, the others had gathered— all hastily dressed except for Coach Hedge, who had pulled the night watch.

Frank's Vancouver Winter Olympics shirt was inside out. Percy wore pajama pants and a bronze breastplate. Hazel's hair was blown to one side as if she'd walked through a cyclone. Leo seemed to have accidentally set himself on fire because his t shirt was in charted tatters and his arms were smoking.

Meanwhile Lit and I hadn't exactly bothered to change. Lit was still in only his boxers and had his sword in his hand. I had my pajama shorts and only a sports bra.

Such a fine array of warriors.

About a hundred yards to port, a massive cruise ship glided past. Tourists waved at us from fifteen or sixteen rows of balconies. Some smiled and took pictures. None of them looked surprised to see an Ancient Greek trireme. Maybe we looked like another cruise ship, or a fishing boat, or even a tourist attraction. 

Lit of course, stepped in front of me to stop anyone and everyone from staring at my bare stomach.

"Overprotective," I hissed, trying to peek around him.

He smirked and kept blocking me.

The cruise ship blew its horn again, and the Argo II had a shaking fit. Coach Hedge plugged his ears. "Do they have to be so loud?"

"They're just saying hi," Frank speculated.

"WHAT?" Hedge yelled back.

The ship edged past us, heading out to sea. The tourists kept waving. If they found it strange that the Argo II was populated by half asleep kids in armor and pajamas and a man with goat legs, they didn't let on.

"Bye!" Leo called, raising his smoking hand.

"Can I man the ballistae?" Hedge asked

"No," Leo said through a forced smile.

I stepped out from behind Lit just as Hazel gasped. "Oh, wow."

I was about to say her 'wow' reminded me of the line Owen Wilson has in like, every movie he makes, but then I realized one, she wouldn't know who that was, and two, now was not the time.

Without the cruise ship to block our view, I could see a mountain jutting from the sea less than half a mile to the north.

Now, I'd seen impressive cliffs before. But none were as amazing as this massive fist of blinding white rock thrust into the sky.

On one side, the limestone cliffs were almost completely sheer, dropping into the sea over a thousand feet below, as near as I could figure.

On the other side, the mountain sloped in tiers, covered in green forest, so that the whole thing reminded me of a massive sphinx, worn down over the millennia, with a massive white head and chest, and a green cloak over its back.

"The Rock of Gilbraltar," Annabeth said in awe. "At the tip of Spain. And over there—" she pointed south, to a more distant stretch of red and ochre hills. "That must be Africa. We're at the mouth of the Mediterranean."

I shivered. "This is it, then. The Mediterranean. The Mare Nostrum. Then, the ancient lands. If the legends are true, our quest is about to become ten times more dangerous."

"Thank you for that, Lydia," Piper said softly. "What now, though? Do we just sail in?"

"Why not?" Leo decided. "It's a big shipping channel. Boats go in and out all the time."

"Yes but not triremes full of demigods," Lit noted.

That made everyone pause and think— especially Annabeth.

I recognized that brooding expression on her face. I'd been seeing it for a decade now, ever since we were young. She anticipated trouble.

"In the old days," Annabeth began, "they called this area the pillars of Hercules. The Rock was supposed to be one pillar. The other was one of the African mountains. Nobody is sure which one."

"Hercules, huh?" Percy drowned. "That guy was like the Starbucks of Ancient Greece. Everywhere you turn— there he is."

"Yep," Lit said bitterly. "Bastard."

A thunderous boom shook the Argo II, though I wasn't exactly sure where it came from. There were no other ships, and the sky was clear.

"What do you mean 'bastard?'" Piper inquired.

"He killed me," Lit muttered. "In my other life."

We were silent.

I took his hand and squeezed it, but he didn't reciprocate the gesture. He looked nervous— afraid, even.

"So these Pillars of Hercules," Piper said softly. "Are they dangerous?"

Annabeth stayed focused on the white cliffs as if waiting for the Mark of Athena to blaze to life or something. "For Greeks, the pillars marked the end of the known world. The Romans said the pillars were inscribed with a Latin warning—"

"Non plus ultra," Percy said.

Annabeth looked stunned. "Yeah. Nothing Further Beyond. How did you know?"

Percy pointed. "Because I'm looking at it."

Directly ahead of us, in the middle of the straits, an island had shimmered into existence.

I swear it hadn't been there before.

It was a small hilly mass of land, covered in forests and ringed with white beaches. Not very impressive compared to Gibraltar, but in front of the island, jutting from the waves about a hundred yards offshore, were two white Grecian columns as tall as the Argo's masts. Between the columns, huge silver words glittered underwater— maybe an illusion, or maybe inlaid in the sand: NON PLUS ULTRA.

"Guys, do I turn around?" Leo asked nervously. "Or..."

No one answered— probably because, like me, they'd all noticed the figure standing on the beach.

Lit tensed beside me as we approached the columns enough to clearly see the dark haired man in purple robes, his arms crossed, his gaze fixed intently on our ship as if he'd been expecting us.

"He doesn't look happy," Lit mumbled quietly.

Frank inhaled sharply. "Could that be—?"

"Yes," Lit said before anyone else could answer. "Hercules. The most powerful demigod of all time."

The Argo II was only a few hundred yards from the columns now.

"Need an answer," Leo said urgently. "I can turn, or we can take off. The stabilizers are working again. But I need to know quick—"

"We have to keep going," Annabeth said. "I think he's guarding these straits. If that's really Hercules, sailing or flying away wouldn't do us any good. He'll want to talk to us."

"Won't Hercules he on our side?" Piper asked hopefully. "I mean... he's one of us, right?"

Jason grunted. "He was a son of Zeus, but when he died, he became a god. You can never sure with gods."

"Great," Percy huffed. "Nine of us against Hercules."

"And a satyr!" Hedge added. "We can take him."

"I've got a better idea," Annabeth said. "We send ambassadors ashore. A small group— four at most. Try to talk with him."

"I'll go," Jason offered. "He's a son of Zeus. I'm the son of Jupiter. Maybe he'll be friendly to me."

"Or maybe he'll hate you," Percy suggested. "Half-brothers don't always get along."

Jason scowled. "Thank you, Mr Optimism."

"It's worth a shot," Annabeth said. "At least Jason and Hercules have something in common. And we need our best diplomat— someone who's good with words."

We all turned to Piper. She winced. "Okay. But um, can Lydia come with?"

Everyone seemed shocked she suggested it.

"Why me?" I said, blinking.

"When I arrived at Camp, you and Annabeth said I could have been a child of Hermes because he's persuasive," she said. "You are good with words. And you're a good fighter. And well... you told me they almost made you a goddess. Plus you've suffered the most out of all of us, probably. He should sympathize with you."

I nodded slowly. "I'm good with that, I guess."

"Sounds good," Annabeth said, looking like she approved. "Now maybe one more—"

"Me."

I think everyone was more shocked that Lit volunteered.

"Are you sure?" I stammered.

"If you're going, I'm going," he said. "I'm not letting you go there without me. Besides um... maybe if I beg for my life or something it'll boost his ego and he'll let us pass."

"Fine," I replied, biting my lip. "Then let's go change our clothes."

_______________

Once Leo had anchored the Argo II between the pillars, Jason summoned the wind to carry us all ashore.

The man in purple was waiting for us.

Okay, so I've heard about a million stories about Hercules. I remember we discussed him beating half the monsters at one point (except for that Flying Sow Percy defeated in the Battle). Hell, I'd seen the Disney movie and everything (as inaccurate as it was. I cam't imagine how Hercules felt when they made it seem like Hera was his mother).

Before today, I would have imagined him maybe as blonde like in the movie. Possibly with a barrel chest and a gross hippie beard. He'd most likely have been in his thirties, and would have a lion skin cloak over his body and a big club in his hand, perhaps. I would have thought he'd smell bad, and belch, fart, and scratch himself a lot like he hadn't bathed in weeks or months.

Did I imagine Hercules as more of an alcoholic? Yeah.

I definitely wasn't expecting the person we met.

His feet were bare, covered in white sand all over. His robes were purple like a priest or something, which made me wonder if he was in his Roman or Greek aspect. His beard was fashionably scruffy.

He was well built but not too stocky. His ebony hair was close cropped, Roman style. (I guess that answers my previous question). He had startling blue eyes like Jason's, but his skin was coppery, as if he'd spent his entire life on a tanning bed.

The most shocking thing was he didn't look a day over twenty. He was handsome in a rugged way, but trust me, I wasn't really impressed.

He didn't have any scars. It made it seem like he hadn't done jack shit.

I love Lit's scars. I know he hated them for awhile because they were all over his face and neck, but I love them. They're beautiful in their own way and it shows how badass he is.

Hercules did in fact, have a club, which lay in the sand next to him. Really it was more like an oversized baseball bat— a five foot long polished cylinder of mahogany with a leather handgrip studded in bronze. Coach Hedge would have been jealous.

Jason had us land at the edge of the surf. We approached slowly, careful bit to make any threatening moved. Lit was holding his sword hilt tightly like he expected a fight.

Hercules, however, watched us without a particular emotion, as if we were some form of seabird he'd never noticed before.

"Hello," Piper said casually.

Always a good start.

"What's up?" Hercules said. His voice was deep but casual, very modern. He could've been greeting us in a high school locker room.

Ew. High School.

"Uh, not much," Piper observed. "Well, actually, a lot. I'm Piper. This is Jason and—"

"Where's your lion skin?" Jason interrupted.

I wanted to kick him where the sun didn't shine. Was he serious right now?

Hercules thankfully looked more amused than annoyed.

"It's ninety degrees out here," he said. "Why would I wear my lion skin? Do you wear a fur coat to the beach?"

"I guess that makes sense." Jason sounded disappointed. "It's just that the pictures always show you with a lion skin."

Hercules glared at the sky accusingly, like he wanted to have words with his father, Zeus. "Don't believe everything you hear about me. Being famous isn't as fun as you might think."

"Tell me about it," Piper sighed.

Hercules fixed his eyes in her. "Are you famous?"

"My dad... he's in the movies."

Hercules snarled. "Don't get me started with the movies. Gods of Olympus, they never get anything right. Have you seen one movie about me where I look like me?"

"Disney isn't the most considerate," I mumbled.

Piper looked like she wanted to slap me, but Hercules chuckled.

"Finally, someone who agrees," he said.

"I'm surprised you're so young," Piper added, trying to take over. Honestly, who cared? I'd rather she be the diplomat. I say too many smartass things.

"Ha! Being immortal helps. But yes, I wasn't so old when I died. Not by modern standards. I did a lot during my years as a hero... to much, really." His eyes drifted to Jason. "Son of Zeus, eh?"

"Jupiter," Jason said.

"Not much difference," Hercules grumbled. "Dad's annoying in either form. Me? I was called Heracles. Then the Romans came along and named me Hercules. I didn't really change that much, though lately just thinking about it gives me splitting headaches..." The left side of his face twitched. His robes shimmered, momentarily turning white, then back to purple.

"Fascinating," I mumbled, furrowing my eyebrows. "Hemifacial spasm even in the presence of all the sunlight. Maybe an overdose..."

Everyone turned to stare at me and I blushed and stepped back.

"At any rate," Hercules continued, staring curiously at me, "if you're Jupiter's son, you might understand. It's a lot of pressure. Enough is never enough. Eventually it can make a guy snap."

His eyes held a mixture of darkness and sadness that seemed quite insane.

He turned to Piper. "As for you, my dear, be careful. Sons of Zeus can be... well, never mind."

She looked like she wanted to leave as soon as he said it.

"And you." He looked at me and his lips curled into a creepy smile. "I know you. I think anyone who is anyone knows you, Lydia Castellan. Why, I met you when you were just a little baby."

"You did?" I said, furrowing my eyebrows.

"You had to have been about two days old. Hermes brought you in to explain to my father— well, our father— that you might turn out to be a bit too powerful. Dad was furious, but he eventually forgot about it."

"You're my uncle," I mumbled. "Wait, but then Jason's also my uncle— you know what, nevermind."

"Wise choice," Hercules said. "The point is you are a legend anywhere and everywhere. Every single god, Roman or Greek, knows your name. And that face, well. You're Hermes in every aspect of him. I don't think I've ever seen a kid look more like their godly parent. Your brother well, he took completely after your mom except for the facial structure."

I nodded slowly and he chuckled.

Then his eyes fixated on Lit. "You, I recognize. But I don't know from where."

"Maybe in passing," I said quickly.

"No." Lit put his hand on my arm, probably as a signal he was just going to tell him the truth. "Lityerses, son of Midas," he said. "You beat me at one of my harvesting contests."

Hercules raised his eyebrows. "Oh, you were that kid that did those harvesting contests and killed whoever you beat. Then at night you'd fight people with the sword, huh? The Reaper of Men. Classic. Yeah, I remember killing you. Who let you back in?"

"Gaea let my father and I back in, but I no longer serve her," he said in one breath to make sure Hercules wouldn't hear one part and overreact.

Hercules frowned. "What—"

"Lord Hercules," I said, butting in, "we're on a quest. We'd like permission to pass into the Mediterranean."

Hercules shrugged. "That's why I'm here. After I died, Dad made me the doorkeeper of Olympus. I said, Great! Palace duty! Party all the time! What he didn't mention is that I'd be guarding the doors of the ancient lands, stuck on this island for the rest of eternity. Lots of fun."

"I'm sorry about that," I mumbled.

He pointed at the pillars rising from the surf. "Stupid columns. Some people claim I created the whole Strait of Gilbraltar by shoving mountains apart. Some people say the mountains are the pillars. What a bunch of Augean manure. The pillars are pillars."

"Right," Piper said. "Naturally. So... can we pass?"

The god scratched his fashionable beard. "Well, I have to give you the standard warning about how dangerous the ancient lands are. Not just any demigod can survive the Mare Nostrum. Because of that, I have to give you a quest to complete. Prove your worth, blah blah blah. Honestly, I don't make a big deal of it. Usually I give demigods something simple like a shopping trip, singing a funny song, that sort of thing. After all those labors I had to complete for my evil cousin Eurystheus, well... I don't want to be that guy, you know?"

"Appreciate it," Jason said.

"Hey, no problem," Hercules said, sounding relaxed and easygoing but now giving me a strange uncertain feeling. I could sense Piper had been feeling this tor awhile now. "So anyway, what's your quest?"

"Giants," Jason said. "We're off to Greece to stop them from awakening Gaea."

"Giants," Hercules muttered. "I hate those guys. Back when I was a demigod hero... ah, but never mind. So what god put you up to this— Dad? Athena? Maybe Aphrodite?" He raised an eyebrow at Piper. "As pretty as you are, I'm guessing that's your mom."

I should have been thinking a lot faster. Too late, I realized the conversation had become a minefield.

"Hera sent us," Jason said. "She brought us together to—"

"Hera." Suddenly Hercules's expression darkened.

"We hate her too," Piper said quickly. "We didn't want to help her but she didn't give us much choice—"

"But here you are," Hercules growled. "Sorry, you four. I don't care who you are or how worthy your quest is. I don't do anything that Hera wants. Ever."

Jason looked mystified. "But I thought you made up with her when you became a god."

"Like I said," Hercules grumbled, "don't believe everything you hear. If you want to pass into the Mediterranean, I'm afraid I've got to give you an extra hard quest."

"But we're like brothers!" Jason protested. "Hera's messed with my life too. I understand—"

"You understand nothing," Hercules snapped. "My first family: dead. My life wasted in ridiculous quests. My second wife dead, after being tricked into poisoning me and leaving me to a painful demise. And my compensation? I got to become a minor god. Immortal, so I can never forget my pain. Stuck here as a gatekeeper, a doorman, a.. a butler for the Olympians. No, you don't understand. The only god who understands me even a little bit is Dionysus. And at least he invented something useful. I have nothing to show except bad film adaptations of my life."

"That's horribly sad, Lord Hercules." Piper seemed to turn on her charmspeak. "But please go easy on us. We're not bad people."

For a second I thought it worked, because he hesitated. Then his jaw tightened and he shook his head. "On the opposite side of this island, over those hills, you'll find a river. In the middle of that river lives the old god Achelous." Hercules waited, as if this information should send us running in terror.

"And..?" Jason asked.

"And," Hercules said, "I want you to break off his other horn and bring it to me."

"He has horns," Jason said. "Wait... his other horn? What—?"

"Figure it out," Hercules snapped. "Here, this should help."

He said the word help like it meant hurt. From under his robes, he took a small book and tossed it to Piper. She barely caught it.

The book's glossy cover showed a photographic montage of Greek temples and smiling monsters. The Minotaur was giving a thumbs up. The title read: The Hercules Guide to the Mare Nostrum.

"Bring me that horn by sundown," he said. "Just you, Jason and Piper. I know you'll have an advantage with Lydia and Lit. No contacting your friends. Your ship will remain where it is. If you succeed, you may pass into the Mediterranean."

"And if we don't?" Piper said, looking terrified he was holding Lit and I behind.

"Well, Achelous will kill you, obviously," he said. "And I will break your ship in half with my bare hands and send your friends to an early grave."

Jason shifted his feet. "Couldn't we just sing a funny song."

Hercules seemed to become even angrier.

"Not funny," he said coldly. "I'd get going if I were you. Sundown, or your friends are dead, except for Lydia here. I'll be keeping her for myself."


	60. Hercules Can't Go The Distance

I could tell right away that Hercules and Lit on the same island after the comment the former had made would create a time bomb just waiting to burst once the latter figured out his plan of retaliation.

"For your information, you won't be 'keeping her for yourself,'" Lit snapped, glaring daggers at Hercules.

Hercules looked more amused than threatened. "And who are you to say that? Don't play stupid, demigod. You won't believe how many heroes who have heard about Miss Castellan here are dying to take a part of her."

"That's disgusting," I snarled. "I'm not giving a part of myself to any of them. My body, my choice."

"If these were the Ancient days— which Lit here remembers— you'd have already been married off to some hero," Hercules said. "Theseus would have adored you."

"Theseus was an asshole," Lit hissed. "He never respected the women with him."

"And you did?" Hercules laughed. "Don't pretend you're so pure, Lityerses." He looked at me. "I'm assuming you two are an item?"

"Yes, we are," I said sharply. "He's my boyfriend."

He let out an even louder laugh than before. "Hasn't he told you?" He chuckled. "How many women he's been with before you?"

"I don't give a damn," I spat. "He's a different person now, I'm not going to judge him for what he did millenia ago."

"So you're perfectly fine knowing your boyfriend here, who died for being a cheating scum in the first place, has slept with half the women in Ancient Greece?"

I felt like I'd been slapped in the face.

I'd really never considered that Lit had already been an adult years and years ago. He'd already had his share of experience.

Yet part of me had never really given thought to the fact he had been a total idol before— badass swordsman who can beat anyone.

Of course he had to have slept with several women before.

I could forgive him for that (not that there was anything to forgive) but it was just— weird.

Had I really thought I was going to maybe be his first? Jesus, I'm an idiot.

"I didn't sleep with half the women in Ancient Greece!" Lit snarled, even angrier now than he had been before. "You don't know jack shit about it, Black Bottom!"

Hercules seemed like he might blow a fuse. "Don't call me that!"

"Oh, why not? The Kerkopes and I are pals, I have every right!" He spat.

They both lunged forward, but I stepped between them and shoved them back, using their own mometum to send them sprawling.

"Stop it," I growled. "You insist on keeping us here, Hercules. Fine. But we will be away from you and your stupidity."

"Oh no, I have to keep you occupied," Hercules snapped. "I won't have you getting cozy and scheming plans to help your friends."

"That wasn't part of the deal you made with them!"

"You're supposed to be smarter than this, Castellan," Hercules grumbled. "I didn't make any deal with them. You are to stay here."

"Not in the presence of you!" I snarled.

"You will do what I say," Hercules snarled, standing up and glaring down at me. "Or I will rip off your boyfriend's head like I did the first time. Then I will kill all your friends, even if the others succeed. You're already on thin ice to dare come here on Hera's orders. You have no valid reason to cross the Mediterranean if you're following her instructions. Do what I say or I will kill all your friends except for your ugly boy here and make him watch as I claim you the Greek way."

His eyes flashed with such malice I gulped.

I could sense Lit was behind me, wanting more than anything to kill Hercules, but knowing he couldn't because he was our key to get through the Mare Nostrum and also a god.

"Now fight," Hercules said. "Entertain me. You are supposed to be the two greatest ever swordfighters. I want to see it in action."

I stepped back, my body still trembling with anger at the threat Hercules said.

I stood across from Lit, and drew Slasher.

"Are we actually doing this?" He mumbled, wiping his hand on his pants. I didn't answer, because I saw blood.

Only then did I realize he'd been holding a dagger in his hands. He must have been so angry he squeezed it too hard.

"Y-Yeah," I said. I didn't want to get my friends killed nor did I want Hercules to break me in ways only he knew how. It was just fighting. That was it.

Lit drew his sword, looking sideways at Hercules.

"Hurry up," Hercules said, sitting back in a beach chair that popped up out of thin air. "I don't have all day and neither do you. Entertain me til sunset. Maybe I'll be more lenient when your friends come back and accept failure."

I gritted my teeth and launched myself forward.

My heart wasn't in it, and neither was Lit's.

We fought like we usually did in training, focusing on assigning roles. He usually practiced offense and I defense, so that's what we were doing.

But it was clear neither of us wanted to do this. Because it wasn't training this time, it was fighting for the sick purpose of stopping Hercules from killing us and/or, in my unfortunate case, claiming us.

Disgusting.

"You're not trying hard enough," Hercules complained. "And you, Castellan, show some skin or something, it makes it more interesting to watch."

"Excuse me?" I snapped. "I've already had three unwanted people stare at my chest in the last forty eight hours. I think the fuck not."

"Which three people stared at your chest?" Lit asked immediately.

"Octavian and two Romans, it's not important."

"It is important!"

"Oh for the love of the gods," Hercules growled. "You two aren't the least bit entertaining. Shirt off, Castellan."

Lit looked torn. If he stopped me, Hercules would hurt me in worse ways. I'm pretty sure Lit knew exactly how Hercules meant to 'claim me in the Greek way' and he didn't want that to happen to me. But I could tell he also didn't want Hercules to just get to stare at me the whole time.

"I said, shirt off," Hercules snarled. "You're putting me in a bad mood."

I wanted to scream in rage but I couldn't. I muttered under my breath and yanked my shirt off, glad that today my sports bra covered a lot more of me. I balled up the shirt and threw it at Hercules's face angrily. He looked amused. His eyes traced up and down my body, his eyes flashing lust in a way that made me so uncomfortable I was ready to just abandon Jason and Piper and get the hell away.

"Now fight again," he said. "Put more soul into it."

I don't know how many hours straight Lit and I dueled in the sand, dodging and giving strikes in the best imitation of our practice that we could. Hercules seemed entertained enough, and the sun began to set soon, which made me breathe a sigh of relief.

The sun began to set and I grew worried. Piper and Jason weren't back. I didn't hear anything beyond the pillars. Had they died? Had they succeeded? Did they have a plan to make sure Hercules didn't run after us even if they did come back with the stupid horn?

The sun had just begun to set behind the pillars when they came trudging out of the forest.

Piper and Jason immediately looked surprised to see me shirtless. Piper's eyebrows furrowed as if she could read my emotions perfectly well, and she looked horrified.

Somehow I knew she understood why I looked so afraid right now.

"Good," Hercules said. "You got it. In that case, you are free to go."

Piper glanced at Jason. "You heard him. He gave us permission." She turned it back to the god. "That means our ship will be able to pass into the Mediterranean?"

"Yes, yes." Hercules snapped his fingers. "Now, the horn."

"No," Piper said.

The god frowned. "Excuse me?"

She raised a hollowed out horn, smooth and dark on the inside.

"Achelous was right," she continued. "You're his curse as much as he is yours. You're a sorry excuse for a hero."

I had no idea what she meant by that, but I was uplifted seeing Hercules's confused look.

"You realize I could kill you with a flick of my finger," he said dangerously. "I could throw my club at your ship and cut straight through its hull. I could—"

"You could shut up," Jason suggested. He drew his sword. "Maybe Zeus is different from Jupiter. Because I wouldn't put up with any brother who acts like you."

The veins on Hercules's neck turned as purple as his robes. "You would not be the first demigod I've killed. I wouldn't have to put much effort into it, either. But I would delay that. You'd be forced to watch me claim Miss Castellan here, which I've already told her about. You act like I can't hurt you all."

Piper's eyes flashed so angrily I almost mistook her for Lit.

"Jason is better than you," Piper said. "And so is Lydia— actually, all of us are. But don't worry, we're not going to fight you. We're going to leave this island with the horn. You don't deserve it as a prize. I'm going to keep it, to remind me of what not to be like as a demigod, and to remind me of poor Achelous and Deianira."

The god's nostrils flared. "Do not mention that name! You can't seriously think I'm worried about your puny boyfriend or the girl who was too weak to accept being made a goddess. No one is stronger than me."

"I didn't say stronger," Piper corrected. "I said they're better."

She pointed the mouth if the horn at Hercules. Suddenly the horn blasted forth a flood of food so powerfully that Hercules ended up buried in a torrent of fresh fruit, baked goods, and smoked hams.

When it had spewed out enough goodies to fill a house, the horn shut itself off. I could hear Hercules shrieking and struggling somewhere underneath. Apparently even the strongest god in the world could he caught off guard when buried under fresh produce.

"Go!" Piper told Jason. "Go!"

Jason grabbed Piper, and yanked Lit and I towards him, summoning the winds and shooting us away from the island so quickly, I felt my face burn.

As the island retreated from view, Hercules's head broke above the mound of goodies. Half a coconut was stuck on his noggin like a war helmet.

"Kill!" He bellowed, like he'd had a lot of practice saying it.

Jason touched down on the deck of the Argo II. We scrambled out of his grip and onto the deck.

Thankfully, Leo had done his part.

The ship's oars were already in aerial mode. The anchor was up. Jason summoned a gale so string, it pushed us into the sky, while Percy sent a ten foot tall wave against the shore, knocking Hercules down a second time, in a cascade of seawater and pineapples.

By the time the god regained his feet and started lobbing coconuts at them from far below, the Argo II was already sailing through the clouds above the Mediterranean.

___________________

After we explained the top ten reasons why Hercules was a massive jerk, we dispersed.

We managed to leave the Pillars of Hercules pretty much unscathed, except for a few coconuts that lodged into the hull's bronze plating.

Several times an hour once everyone was relaxing, something attacked the ship. A flock of flesh eating Stymphalian birds swooped out of the night sky, and Festus torched them. Storm spirits swirled around the mast, and Jason blasted them with lightning. While Coach Hedge was having dinner on the foredeck, a wild pegasus appeared from nowhere, stampeding over the Coach's enchiladas, and flew off again, leaving cheesy hoof prints all across the deck.

But finally after that there weren't many problems, and we all went to bed.

I curled up in Lit's arms and he sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"What are you sorry for?" I asked immediately. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Well first of all I'm sorry I didn't protect you better," he said. "I let him threaten you and stuff."

"Lit there wasn't anything you could have done," I said, touching his face. "He'd have killed everyone. He... he was going to hurt us really bad."

"I let him force you to take off your shirt."

"Look I made the choice to take it off because I knew it was minimal compared to what he might do if I didn't. I'm sorry, I was afraid."

"That's my point Lydia, you were afraid and I couldn't protect you."

"No one could have protected me."

He sighed, shaking his head. "Okay... well, then I'm sorry for not telling you about the... women."

I bit my lip. "Lit, I don't care how many people you were with or how intimately. That was millennia ago."

"I should have told you," he said. "I made it seem like I'd never really been with people like that. I... used to sleep around a lot. It's what I was known for. The stupid slogan was like... fighter in the streets, demon in the sheets."

"What?" I wanted to laugh but I knew it wasn't funny at all.

"I was known for fighting, making money, killing people in challenges in the fields, then taking home women and making them... well, scream my name and shit."

I felt my cheeks grow redder with each word. As fascinated as I was with human anatomy I had never really thought about myself in such a scenario doing what most people consider normal once they reach my age.

I might have gone forty more years without realizing it was something I could do. I never would have thought about it. Ethan never went that far with me and never intended to, from what I understood, despite people sometimes making jokes.

Of course I suppose I thought maybe with Lit. But with the constant threat of dying it wasn't on my mind.

"I'm sorry for not having told you," he said. "You know how I kept acting weird about seeing you in only a towel the other day? I misled you, making it seem like I'd never been so intimate with anyone. I'm sorry for that. I should have told you I have um, experience at least in that area."

"Lit it's okay," I said, putting my hand on his chest. "Just as long as you're not you know, fantasizing about those other women."

"I'm not, I swear I'm not," he replied. "I want you and only you. Not now. Just... when you're ready."

I nodded and blushed, burying my head in his chest so he wouldn't see my face.

"Goodnight, Lydia," he yawned before kissing my head and falling asleep.

"Goodnight, Lit," I whispered back. I heard a snore in reply and sighed softly. "I love you..."

My dreams that night were not peaceful.

Lately I hadn't had nightmares since I'd been sleeping with Lit. But today seemed to be an exception.

I dreamed I was in a dark cavern. I could only see a few feet in front of me, but the space must have been vast. Water dripped from somewhere nearby, and the sound echoed off the distant walls. The way the air moved made me suspect the cave's ceiling was far, far above.

Immediately, I sensed a presence next to me. I looked sideways and saw no one, but furrowed my eyebrows and sniffed.

It smelled like pancakes and syrup and salt. Percy. It wasn't the first time I shared a dream with him— it had happened many times before with Luke and Kronos.

I doubted he would be aware if it, so I just went back to paying attention as heavy footsteps thundered through the cave.

Two twin giants shuffled out of the gloom. Ephialtes and Otis. I assumed based on what the others had mentioned, Ephialtes was the one with green locks braided with silver and gold coins, while Otis was the one with a purple ponytail braided with firecrackers.

Otherwise, they were dressed identically, and their outfits definitely belonged in a nightmare. They wore matching white slacks and gold buccaneer shirts with the V-necks that showed way too much chest hair. A dozen sheathed daggers lined their rhinestone belts. Their shoes were open toed sandals, proving that— yes, indeed— they had snakes for feet. The straps wrapped around the serpents' necks. Their heads curled up where the toes should be. The snakes flicked their tongues excitedly and turned their gold eyes in every direction, like dogs looking out the window of a car. Maybe it had been a long time since they'd had shoes with the view.

The giants gazed up into the darkness, paying Percy (assuming he was actually there) and I no attention.

"We are here," Ephialtes announced. Despite his booming voice, his words dissipated in the cavern, echoing until they sounded small and insignificant.

Far above, something answered, "Yes. I can see that. Those outfits are hard to miss."

The voice made my stomach drop about six inches, which I knew was anatomically not exactly possible. It sounded vaguely female, but not at all human. Almost as bad as Kronos's razor sharp voice. Each word was a garbled hiss in multiple tones, as if a swarm of African killer bees had learned to speak English in unison.

But it wasn't Gaea, I was sure of that. Whatever it was, it made the twin giants nervous. They shifted on their snakes and bobbed their heads respectfully.

"Of course, Your Ladyship," Ephialtes said. "We bring news of—"

"Why are you dressed like that?" The voice responded. She didn't seem to be coming any closer, which was fine by me.

Ephialtes shot his brother an irritated look. "My brother was supposed to wear something different. Unfortunately—"

"You said I was the knife thrower today," Otis protested.

"I said I was the knight thrower! You were supposed to be the magician! Ah, forgive me, Your Ladyship. You don't want to hear us arguing. We came as you requested, to bring you news. The ship is approaching."

Her Ladyship, whatever she was, made a series of violent hisses like a tire being slashed repeatedly. It made my ears tingle painfully. With a shudder, I realized she was laughing.

"How long?" She asked.

"They should land in Rome shortly after daybreak, I think," Ephialtes said. "Of course, they'll have to get past the golden boy." He sneered, as if the golden boy was not his favorite person.

"I hope they arrive safely," Her Ladyship said. "It would spoil our fun to have them captured too soon. Are your preparations made?"

"Yes, Your Ladyship." Otis stepped forward, and the cavern trembled. A crack appeared under Otis's left snake.

"Careful, you dolt!" Her Ladyship snarled. "Do you want to return to Tartarus the hard way?"

Otis scrambled back, his face slack with terror. I realize that the floor, which looked like solid stone, wasn't as solid as it appeared to be.

"There is little left holding this place together," Her Ladyship cautioned. "Except, of course, my own skill. Centuries of Athena's rage can only be contained so well, and the great Earth Mother churns below us in her sleep. Between those two forces, well... my nest has quite eroded. We must hope this child of Athena proves to be a worthy victim. She may be my last plaything."

Ephialtes gulped. He kept his eyes on the crack in the floor. "Soon it will not matter, Your Ladyship. Gaea will rise, and we all will be rewarded. You will no longer have to guard this place, or keep your works hidden."

"Perhaps," the voice replied. "But I will miss the sweetness of my revenge. We have worked well together over the centuries, have we not?"

The twins bowed. The coins glittered in Ephialtes's hair, and with a nauseating realization I noticed they were exactly like the drachma Annabeth had gotten from her mom.

It did seem like he had centuries' worth of coins in his braids— hundreds of trophies.

I didn't want Annabeth to do this alone....

"Uh, Your Ladyship," Ephialtes said nervously. "I would remind you that Gaea wishes the girl to be taken alive. You can torment her, drive her insane. Whatever you wish, of course. But her blood must be spilt on the ancient stones."

Her Ladyship hissed. "Others could be used for that purpose. The Castellan girl is the most powerful of them. Why not her?"

"Gaea prefers the son of Poseidon, and thus the Athena girl. You can see why those two would be most suited for the task."

I wasn't sure what that meant, but I wanted to break the floor and send the twins to Tartarus now before they could hurt Annabeth or Percy.

"We will see," Her Ladyship grumbled. "Leave me now. Tend to your own preparations. You will have your spectacle. And I... I will work in darkness."

The dream dissolved, and suddenly I stood in the hallway of a familiar center.

The Alzheimer's nursing home my mother resided in. I recognized the pink flowers in vases, the neatly laid out visitor clipboards.

There was shouting. I ran to the source, and with a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach I noticed I was headed straight to my mother's room.

"I WANT TO SEE HER!" My mother snarled, throwing a toothbrush at the stars laid out on the wall from my visits, rewards when she remembered my name. "I WANT TO SEE MY DAUGHTER!"

I tensed. The nurses tried to hold her down but she fought them.

"May, May, calm down," the head nurse said. "Lydia's on a trip for school, remember?"

"No she isn't!" My mother hissed. "She's on a quest! A quest that's going to end badly! I need to see her!"

How could she possibly know that? I hadn't visited her before I left. I hadn't told anyone to tell her the truth because I knew she'd forget it. How could she know where I was?

"May, it's a school trip," the nurse insisted. "Not a quest."

"It's a quest!" My mother screeched. "A quest to the ancient lands! I saw it— I saw it! She's not going to be okay! She's going to get hurt! She could die! SHE COULD DIE! I WON'T LOSE ANOTHER CHILD, I WON'T!"

Another child. She remembered Luke.

"May, please—"

"BRING ME HERMES! I NEED TO SPEAK TO HIM ABOUT LUKE AND LYDIA! MY CHILDREN— OUR CHILDREN!"

Hermes. She remembered my father.

I deduced that my mother was lucid— for the moment. It happened sometimes— patients would remember everything all of the sudden, as if they never had Alzheimer's to begin with.

"May," the nurse said, "I know the memories can be overwhelming so just—"

"LET ME SEE HER! NOW!"

Just as I moved forward to see if I could touch her, the dream dissolved and I woke with a start.

I was still in Lit's arms. He was snoring lightly, his lips moving like he was talking to someone in a dream.

My eyes immediately went to focus on the nearest clock.

Four thirty fucking am.

I groaned, now wide awake. There was no way I could sleep now— I had to tell Annabeth my dream.

I crawled out of Lit's arms and went to put on my shorts, then a baggy shirt from one of the drawers that I'm pretty sure was Lit's, cause I don't own anything that has 'Pierce The Veil' on it.

I went to brush my teeth then put on my shoes, and crept out of the room and up to the deck, where I surprisingly found Percy and Annabeth chatting while Leo steered.

"Hey," I said, which made Percy abruptly stop talking.

"We shared a dream again, didn't we?" He asked, standing up. "I— I felt you were there."

"We did," I said, making Annabeth turn pale.

"Lydia you can't tell anyone what you saw," she said quickly. "You can't tell anyone about the Mark of Athena or the voice or—"

"I got it," I said, holding my hands up. "I got it. Since you guys seem to have discussed that then I'll turn the focus to me, I guess."

"Please do," Annabeth said pleadingly. "I need to think about anything else."

"Unfortunately it isn't as positive," I sighed. "I had a dream about my mother. She was lucid. Remembered my father, and Luke. And me. Somehow she found out about the quest. She was yelling at the nurses she needed to see me to tell me the quest wasn't going to end well."

"What?" Annabeth said in disbelief. "That's not good— is she having visions again? Does it mean she—"

"Stop." Percy mumbled it so suddenly I jumped. "We have to stop."

"Why?" I asked.

"Leo, stop!" He yelled.

Too late.

The other boat appeared out of the fog and rammed into us head on, throwing me backwards onto the deck.


	61. The Golden Boy Is A Golden Bastard

When I sat up I started noticing random details.

It was another trireme, with black sails that had a gorgon's head painted in them. There were hulking warriors (not quite human) crowded at the front of the boat in Greek armor, their swords and spears ready. What else? A bronze ram at water level, slamming against the Argo II's hull and almost knocking us overboard.

Festus blew fire, sending a dozen very surprised warriors screaming and diving into the sea, but more swarmed aboard the Argo II. Grappling lines wrapped around the rails and the mast, digging iron claws into the hull's planks.

By the time I recovered my wits, the enemy was everywhere. I couldn't see that well through the fog and darkness, but the invaders seemed to humanlike dolphins. Some had gray snouts. Others held their swords in stunted flippers. Some waddled on legs partially fused together, while others had flippers for feet.

A clown army.

Leo sounded the alarm bell. He made a dash for the nearest ballista but went down under a pile of chattering dolphin warriors.

I stood and moved to stand back to back to back with Annabeth and Percy, the way we had many times before.

I raised Slasher, and Percy raised Riptide, but we were hopelessly outnumbered. Several dozen warriors lowered their spears and made a ring around us, wisely keeping out of striking distance for Riptide and Slasher. The dolphin men opened their snouts and made whistling, popping noises. I understood them to say "lower your weapons" but I was too focused on how vicious their teeth looked.

The warriors, thankfully, didn't seem interested in killing is immediately. They kept Percy, Annabeth, and I contained while more of their comrades flooded belowdecks and secured the hull. I could hear them breaking down cabin doors, scuffling with our friends. Even if the others hadn't been fast asleep, they wouldn't stand a chance against so many.

Leo was dragged across the deck, half conscious and groaning, and dumped on a pile of ropes. Below, the sounds of fighting tapered off. Either the others had been subdued or....

Nevermind. Let's not be pessimistic right now.

On one side of the ring of spears, the dolphin warriors parted to let someone through. He appeared to be fully human, but the way the dolphins fell back before him indicated he was their leader. He was dressed in Greek combat armor— sandals, kilt, and greaves, a breastplate decorated with elaborate sea monster designs— and everything he wore was gold. Even his sword was gold instead of bronze.

This was the fucking golden boy.

What made me nervous was the helmet the guy had on. His visor was a full face mask fashioned like a gorgon's head— curved tusks, horrible features pinched into a snarl, and golden snake hair curling around the face.

"Who are you?" Percy demanded. "What do you want?"

The golden warrior chuckled. With a flick of his blade, faster than even I could follow, he smacked Riptide out of Percy's hand and sent it flying into the sea.

At this I jumped forward and slashed my sword through the air. The golden warrior hadn't been expecting this, but he met my strike easily.

I dove under his strike and kicked his legs out from under him before slamming the hilt of my sword into his neck and sending him gasping back.

He stumbled, and in an instant about five dolphin warriors converged onto me, shoving me to the ground and tying my hands together. They grabbed Slasher and threw it overboard.

"No!" I screamed, just before they gagged me.

They might as well have thrown my lungs and heart in the sea, because suddenly I couldn't breathe.

Riptide would magically come back to Percy, eventually.

Slasher would not.

The warrior stood, brushing himself off. "Hello, brother," he said to Percy, his voice rich and velvety with an exotic accent— Middle Eastern, maybe— that sounded vaguely familiar. "And hello, Hermes brat."

I gritted my teeth behind the gag. He smirked and turned back to Percy. "Always happy to rob a fellow son of Poseidon. I am Chrysaor, the Golden Sword. As for what I want..." he turned his metal mask towards Annabeth. "Well, that's easy. I want everything you have."

My heart did jumping jacks as Chrysaor began to walk around, inspecting Percy, Annabeth, and I like prized cattle.

I wanted to scream. Slasher was who knows how deep in the ocean right now. I'd never been separated from that sword since I got it when I was eight. That was ten years with that damn sword. And so easily I'd been disarmed and my sword was gone.

A dozen of Chrysaor's dolphin-man warriors stayed in a ring around us, spears leveled at my chest, while dozens more ransacked the ship, banging and crashing around belowdecks. One carried a box of ambrosia up the stairs. Another carried an armful of ballista bolts and a crate of Greek fire.

"Careful with that!" Annabeth warned. "It'll blow up both our ships!"

"Ha!" Chrysaor said. "We know all about Greek fire, girl. Don't worry. We've been looting and pillaging ships on the Mare Nostrum for eons."

"Your accent sounds familiar," Percy said abruptly. "Have we met?"

"I haven't had the pleasure." Chrysaor's golden gorgon mask snarled at him. "But I've heard all about you, Percy Jackson. And you, Lydia Castellan. Oh yes, the young man and woman who saved Olympus. And of course, Annabeth Chase, their faithful sidekick."

Annabeth might as well have put Chysaor on her 'send to Tartarus' list. "I'm nobody's sidekick," she growled furiously. "And Percy, his accent sounds familiar because he sounds like his mother. We killed her in New Jersey."

Percy frowned. "I'm pretty sure that accent isn't New Jersey. Who's his—? Oh."

"Medusa's your mom?" I said, gagging internally. "I'm really sorry for you, seriously."

Judging from the sound in Chrysaor's throat, he was snarling under the mask now too.

"You are as arrogant as of the first Perseus," Chrysaor said. "But yes, Percy Jackson. Poseidon was my father. Medusa was my mother. After Medusa was changed into a monster by that so-called goddess of wisdom..." The golden mask turned on Annabeth. "That would be your mother, I believe... Medusa's two children were trapped inside her, unable to be born. When the original Perseus cut off Medusa's head—"

"Two children sprang out," I recalled. "Pegasus and you."

Percy blinked. "So your brother is a winged horse. But you're also my half brother which means all the flying horses in the world are my... you know what, lets forget it."

"If you're Medusa's kid," I mumbled, "why haven't we ever heard of you?"

Chrysaor sighed in exasperation. "When your brother is Pegasus, you get used to being forgotten. Oh, look, a winged horse! Does anyone care about me!? No!" He raise the tip of his blade to Percy's eyes. "But don't underestimate me. My name means the Golden Sword for a reason."

"Imperial gold?" I inquired.

"Bah!" He said, turning the sword to my face. "Enchanged gold, yes. Later on, the Romans called it Imperial gold, but I was the first to ever wield such a blade. I should have been the most famous hero of all time! Since the legend tellers decided to ignore me, I became a villain instead. I resolve to put my heritage to use. As the son of Medusa, I would inspire terror. As the son of Poseidon, I would rule the seas!"

"You became a pirate," Annabeth summed up.

"Jeez," I said, my eyes getting crossed from staring at the point of his sword. "You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain."

"Exactly." Chrysaor spread his arms, which was fine by me since it got the sword point away from my eyes. "The best pirate. I've sailed these waters for centuries, waylaying any demigods foolish enough to explore the Mare Nostrum. This is my territory now. And all you have is mine."

"This isn't sharing and caring time," I said through gritted teeth.

"It's always sharing and caring time," Chrysaor replied with a sick grin.

There was a loud crash. One of the dolphin warriors dragged Coach Hedge up from below.

"Let me go, you tuna fish!" Hedge bellowed. He tried to kick the warrior, buy his hoof clanged off his captor's armor. Judging from the hoofshaped prints in the dolphin's breastplate and helmet, the coach had already made several attempts.

"Ah, a satyr," Chrysaor mused. "A little old and stringy, but Cyclopes will pay well for a morsel like him. Chain him up."

"I'm nobody's goat meat!" Hedge protested.

"Gag him as well," Chrysaor decided.

"Why you gilded little—" Hedge's insult was cut short when the dolphin put a greasy wad of canvas in his mouth. Soon the coach was trussed like a rodeo calf and dumped with the other loot— crates of food, extra weapons, even the magical ice chest from the mess hall.

"You can't do this!" Annabeth shouted.

Chrysaor's laughter reverberated inside his gold face mask. I wondered if he was horribly disfigured under there, or if his gaze petrified people the way his mother's could.

"I can do anything I want," Chrysaor said. "My warriors have been trained to perfection. They are vicious, cutthroat—"

"Dolphins," Percy noted.

Chrysaor shrugged. "Yes. So? They had some bad luck a few millennia ago, kidnapped the wrong person. Some of their crew got turned completely into dolphins. Others went mad. But these... These survived as hybrid creatures. When I found them under the sea and offered them a new life, they became my loyal crew. They fear nothing!

One of the warriors chattered at him nervously.

"Yes, yes," Chrysaor growled. "They fear one thing, but it hardly matters. He's not here."

That stirred a memory immediately but I couldn't think of it because more dolphin warriors were coming up onto the deck carrying our friends.

Jason and Lit were unconscious, their faces bruised and cut horribly. I let out a soft gasp seeing Lit's forehead had blood trickling completely down his face. They must have tried to fight.

Hazel and Piper were bound hand and foot. Piper had a gag in her mouth, so apparently the dolphins had discovered she could charmspeak. Frank was the only one missing, though two of the dolphins had bee stings covering their faces.

I remembered Percy telling me that Frank had said he might be able to turn into pretty much any and every animal that existed. What if he could actually turn into a swarm of bees? I sure fucking hoped so, because if he was free aboard the ship somewhere, it would be a great advantage.

"Excellent!" Chrysaor gloated. He directed his warriors to dump Jason and Lit by the cross bows. Then he examined the girls like they were Christmas presents, which made me grit my teeth in fury.

"The boys are no use to me," Chrysaor said. "But we have an understanding with the witch Circe. She will buy the women— either as slaves or trainees, depending on their skill. Just you two, girls. Not you, Miss Castellan, you I can sell to someone else for a much much higher price. Nor you, lovely Annabeth."

Annabeth recoiled. "You are not taking me anywhere."

The golden warrior tutted. "Oh, sadly Annabeth, you will not be staying with me. I would love that. But you and your friend Percy are spoken for. A certain goddess is paying a high bounty for your capture— alive, if possible, though she didn't say you had to be unharmed."

At that moment, Piper caused the disturbance Percy needed for the plan I knew he'd been cooking up. She wailed so loudly it could be heard through her gag. Then she fainted against the nearest guard, knocking him over. Hazel got the idea and crumpled to the deck, kicking her legs and thrashing like she was having a fit.

Percy drew Riptide and lashed out. The blade, by my calculations, should have gone straight through Chrysaor's neck, and vaporized him, but the golden warrior was unbelievably fast. He dodged and parried as the dolphin warriors backed up, guarding the other captives while giving their captain room to battle. They chattered and squeaked, egging him on, and I got the sinking suspicion the crew was used to this sort of entertainment. They didn't feel their leader was in any sort of danger.

I knew immediately Percy was rusty. They battled back and forth, thrusting and parrying. Some part of me also knew that my brother's voice was ringing in Percy's head as he struggled. By then dolphin men had pressed knives on Annabeth and I's throats, knowing we might aid Percy.

Percy feinted and thrust at Chrysaor's gut, but Chrysaor anticipated the move. He knocked Percy's sword out pf his hand again, and once more Riptide flew into the sea.

Chrysaor laughed easily. He wasn't even winded. He pressed the tip of his golden sword against Percy's sternum.

I reacted immediately even though I knew trying to fight Chrysaor without a sword was pointless.

I dodged and ducked under the knife that was against my throat, and kneed the warrior in the groin before whirling around and ripping the knife from his hand and throwing it with blinding speed right at Chrysaor's hand.

It pierced it and he almost dropped his sword. I dove forward and kicked it out of his hand, now that his grip on it was loosened, then aimed another kick at the golden helmet.

Holy motherfucking shit did it hurt.

My whole leg felt like it was on fire. I suppose I hadn't really considered that it was going to be like kicking a brick wall.

I cried out and tried to stabilize myself to punch him, but by then he'd gotten his sword back from one of his warriors, had taken me by the neck, and pressed the tip of the blade onto my nose.

"A good try," he said, smirking malevolently as I whimpered, my throat closing more and more with every passing second as I felt my trachea be crushed, and my leg feeling like it needed to be amputated. "But now you will need to join Annabeth and Percy as they are chained and transported to Gaea's minions. They are quite eager to spill your blood and wake the goddess."

"Fine!" Percy said immediately, as if he already had a solid plan in mind. "Take us away, if our captain will let you."

Chrysaor turned his golden mask to him and loosened his grip on me, making me cough. "What captain? My men searched the ship. There is no one else."

Percy raised his hands dramatically. "The god appears only when he wishes. But he is our leader. He runs our camp for demigods, doesn't he, Annabeth?"

Annabeth was quick. "Yes!" She nodded enthusiastically. "Mr. D! The great Dionysus!"

A ripple of uneasiness pass through the dolphin men. One dropped his sword.

"Stand fast!" Chrysaor bellowed. "There is no god on the ship, they are trying to scare you!"

"You should be scared!" Percy looked at the pirate crew with sympathy. "Dionysus will be severely cranky with you for having delayed our voyage. He will punish all of us. Didn't you notice the girls falling into the wine god's madness!?"

Hazel and Piper had to stop the shaking fits. They were sitting on the deck, staring at Percy, but when he glared at them pointedly they started humming it up again, trembling and flopping around like fish. The dolphin man fell over themselves trying to get away from their captives.

"Fakes!" Chrysaor roared. "Shut up, Percy Jackson. Your camp director is not here. He was recalled to Olympus. This is common knowledge."

"So you admit Dionysus is our director!" Percy said.

"He was," Chrysaor corrected. "Everyone knows that."

Percy gestured at the golden warrior like he just betrayed himself. "You see? We are doomed. If you don't believe me, let's check the ice chest!"

He stormed to the magic cooler and brought out a can of soda. "Behold!" He shouted. "The god's chosen beverage. Tremble before the horror of Diet Coke!" The dolphin man began to panic. They were on the edge of retreat, I could feel it.

"The god will take your ship," Percy warned. "He will finish your transformation into dolphins, or make you insane, or transform you into insane dolphins! Your only hope is to swim away now, quickly!"

"Ridiculous!" Chrysaor's voice turned shrill and he dropped me abruptly, leaving me to choke and gasp for air.

"Save yourselves!" Percy warned. "It is too late for us!" He jabbed a finger at a random spot on the ship. "Oh no! Frank is turning into a crazy dolphin!"

Nothing happened.

"I said," Percy repeated, "Frank is turning into a crazy dolphin!"

Frank stumbled out of nowhere, making a big show of grabbing his throat. "Oh, no," he said, like he was reading from a teleprompter. "I am turning into a crazy dolphin."

He began to change, his nose elongating into a snout, his skin becoming sleek and gray. He fell to the deck at the dolphin, his tail thumping against the boards.

The pirate crew disbanded and terror, chattering and clicking as they dropped their weapons, forgot the captives, ignored Chrysaor's orders, and jumped overboard. In the confusion, Annabeth moved quickly to cut the bonds on Hazel, Piper, and Coach Hedge.

I leapt up, holding the knife a warrior had dropped. Within seconds, the golden warrior was alone and surrounded.

"This isn't over, Jackson," Chrysaor growled. "I will have my revenge—"

His words were cut short by Frank, who had changed form again. An eight hundred pound grizzly bear can definitely break up a conversation. He sideswiped the golden warrior and raked the golden mask off his helmet. Chrysaor screamed, instantly covering his face with his arms in tumbling into the water. We ran to the rail, and saw that Chrysaor had disappeared.

"That was brilliant!" Annabeth cried, kissing Percy.

"It was desperate," he corrected. "And we need to get rid of this pirate trireme."

"Burn it?" I suggested, rubbing my throat.

Percy looked at the Diet Coke in his hand. "No. I've got another idea."

____________

Once I'd revived Lit and Jason and tended to their wounds (and once I had Hazel summon me back my sword) we returned all our supplies to their proper places on our ship.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to help," Lit said as we listened to Coach Hedge break everything be found with a bat aboard the enemy ship.

"It's okay," I said, hissing slightly as he pressed some ice on my bruised neck.

"I feel so useless," he mumbled. "I'm unconscious and you were out there fighting without a sword."

"You're really useful, Lit," I insisted. "Besides, I'm fine."

He shrugged and scooped me up, making me shriek.

"Remind me again why we can't steal their weapons, Jackson," Lit groaned as we gathered near the railing of our ship.

"We just can't," Percy said. "How much is in there, Hazel?"

"I can sense about six million dollars' worth of gold aboard," Hazel said. "Plus diamonds, rubies—"

"Six m-million?" Framk stammered. "Canadian dollars or American?"

"Doesn't matter," Lit said. "Damn. That could pay so many college tuitions."

"Be realistic, it'd only pay for like three people," I snorted.

"True," he said. "So we get none of that six million?"

"No," Percy said. "We're leaving it as part of the tribute."

"Oh," Piper murmured. "Kansas."

Jason grinned. "Crazy. But I like it."

Finally Percy went aboard the pirate ship and opened the flood valves. He asked Leo to drill a few extra holes in the bottom of the hull with his power tools, and Leo was happy to oblige.

The rest of us assembled at the rail and cut the grappling lines. Piper brought out her new horn of plenty and on Percy's direction, willed it to spew Diet Coke, which came out with the strength of a fire hose, dousing the enemy deck. I thought it might take hours for the ship to sink, but it did it remarkably fast, filled with Diet Coke and seawater.

"Dionysus," Percy called, holding up Chrysaor's golden mask. "Or Bacchus— whatever. You made this victory possible, even if you weren't here. Your enemies trembled at your name... Or your Diet Coke, or something. So, yeah, thank you. We give this shipped to you as tribute. We hope you like it."

"Six million in gold," Leo muttered. "He better like it."

"Shhh," Haze scolded. "Precious metal isn't all that great. Believe me."

Percy threw the golden mask aboard the vessel, which was now sinking even faster, brown fizzy liquid spewing out the trireme's oar slots and bubbling from the cargo hold, turning the sea frothy brown.

Percy summoned a wave, and the enemy ship was swamped. Leo steered the Argo II away as the pirate vessel disappeared underwater.

"Isn't that polluting?" Piper inquired.

"I wouldn't worry," Jason said. "If Bacchus likes it, the ship should vanish."

I patted Percy's arm. "Good job, bro. It was an amazing plan."

"I guess," he said quietly. "Hey, Lydia, if you and Lit aren't too busy tonight with knife throwing lessons, do you think maybe you could help me freshen up on sword?"

I smiled and nodded. "Of course. Stop by tonight."


	62. Lit Turns Into A Knife Addict

Do you know stress? Have you ever been super stressed to the point where you want to rip your teeth out?

That's exactly what I felt training Percy and Lit.

Holy shit. Lit, on one hand, is the most impatient person ever. He insisted I start with him, and focus on the knife throwing we'd begun the day before. Percy had awkwardly waited while Lit fussed and got frustrated with himself.

Then it was Percy's turn. Helping him freshen up was no piece of cake— I had to hold back a lot of my own force and skill to ease him back into his speed, and Lit's 'cheering' for encouragement was not helpful in the slightest.

"Kick his ass, baby," he said, sitting cross legged on the bed and watching Percy and I battle.

"Lit— shut—" I began.

"Thanks, baby!" Percy replied teasingly.

So basically, as you might've guessed, they acted like boyfriends and really stressed me out.

Of course, that's not a lot of detail— not the amount I'd like to give, anyway. But trust me, you're not going to care about that now that our quest is truly underway.

The sky was brilliant blue the morning we got up to go out into Rome. It was as if the stormy weather had never happened. The sun rose over the distant hills, so everything below us shown and sparkled like the entire city of Rome had just come out of the car wash. It was beautiful.

Now, I had seen big cities before. I was from New York, after all. And through my online Medical School, I'd met people from all over the world, and they had sent me pictures of views of their own cities in different states.

However, the sheer vastness of Rome grabbed me by the throat and made it hard to breathe. It was jaw-dropping. The city seem to have no regard for the limits of geography. It spread through hills and valleys, jumped over the Tiber with dozens of bridges, and just kept sprawling to the horizon. Streets and alleys zigzagged with no rhyme or reason through quilts of neighborhoods. Glass office buildings stood next to excavation sites. A cathedral stood next to a line of Roman columns, which stood next to a modern soccer stadium. In some neighborhoods, old stucco villas with red-tiled roofs crowded the cobblestone streets, so if I concentrated on just those areas, I could imagine I was in the midst of ancient times. Everywhere I looked, there were wide piazzas and traffic-clogged streets. Parks cut across the city with a crazy collection of palm trees, pines, junipers, and olive trees, as if Rome couldn't decide what part of the world it belonged to— or maybe it just believed all the world still belonged to Rome.

"We're setting down in the park," Leo announced, pointing to a wide green space dotted with palm trees. "Let's hope the Mist makes us look like a large pigeon or something."

"You mean with all the work we did on this ship, it still can't conceal itself?" Lit said incredulously, looking highly disappointed.

"Sorry, man," Leo said with a shrug. Lit shrugged back at him, though he still looked quite crestfallen.

"I'd give a million bucks for Thalia to be here," Percy mumbled to Annabeth and I as we looked over the railing. "She was always a good one to have for quests and battles, and she had a way with the Mist."

"I'm still bitter Chiron didn't teach me to do that," I said solemnly.

"You have powers," Annabeth muttered. "I want a way with the Mist."

"Okay, well—"

"If anything I should get a way with the Mist," Percy whined. "You both got brains, brawn, and well Lydia's got powers but I'm dumb."

"Shut up, you three," Lit said, coming to wrap his arms around me from behind. "Can we just hope the Romans will fail to notice the bronze trireme descending on their city in the middle of morning rush hour?"

We all laughed at his comment. But the Mist seemed to be on our side anyway, so Lit's comment wasn't far-fetched at all. No car was veering off the road, and no Roman was pointing at the sky screaming 'Aliens!' The Argo II set down in the grassy field and the oars retracted without problems.

All around us was the noise of traffic, but the park itself was peaceful and deserted. To our left, a green lawn sloped toward a line of woods. An old villa nestled in the shade of some weird looking pine trees within curvy trunks that shot up thirty or forty feet, then sprouted into puffy canopies. They reminded me of the trees in those weird Dr. Seuss books that my mom was given by the doctors at her nursing home. I had never read those as a kid, and now as an almost adult, I really don't know why the child would enjoy those. They seem sort of cynical, like they have some hidden meaning. They seem too simple.

To our right, snaking along the top of the hill, was a long brick wall with notches at the top for archers— maybe a medieval defensive line, maybe Ancient Roman. I wasn't sure. To the north, about a mile away through the folds of the city, the top of the Colosseum rose above the roof tops, looking just like it did in travel photos, which was pretty cool to me. That's when my legs started shaking, and I realized that Percy, Annabeth, and Lit all had the same reaction. We were actually here. We all thought that we'd taking trips far more exciting than this, more exotic, but never had we imagined that we would actually be in the heart of the old Roman empire, enemy to territory for the Greek demigods we were. In a way, this place had shaped our lives as much as New York or any other place that we'd lived in. Jason pointed to the base of the archers wall, we're steps lead down into some kind of tunnel.

"I think I know where we are," he said. "That's the Tomb of Scipios."

Percy frowned. "Scipio... Reyna's pegasus?"

"No," Annabeth put in. "They were a noble Roman family, and.... wow.... this place is amazing."

Jason nodded. "I've studied maps of Rome before. I've always wanted to come here, but....."

Nobody bothered to finish his sentence. Looking around at my friends' faces, I could tell they were just as much and all as I was. Percy was even drooling, and I had to very gently close Lit's mouth to stop him from doing the same.

"Plans?" Hazel asked. "Nico has until sunset— at best. And this entire city is supposedly getting destroyed today."

"You're right," Percy said as he shook himself out of his daze. "Annabeth... did you zero in on that spot from your bronze map?"

Her gray eyes turned extra thunderstorm dark, which I could interpret just fine: shut up. Maybe Percy and her had discussed something we didn't know.

"Yes," she said carefully. "It's on the Tiber River. I think I can find it, but I should—"

"Take me along," Percy finished. "Yeah, you're right."

Annabeth glared daggers at him. "That's not—"

"Safe," he supplied. "One demigod walking through Rome alone. I'll go with you as far as the Tiber. We can use that letter of introduction, hopefully meet the river god Tiberinus. Maybe he can give you some help or advice. Then you can go on alone from there."

They had a silent staring contest, but Percy didn't back down. I was actually pretty impressed.

"Fine," Annabeth muttered. "Hazel, now that we're in Rome, do you think you can pinpoint Nico's location?"

Hazel blinked, as it coming out of a trance from watching the Percy/Annabeth Show. "Um... Hopefully, if I get close enough. I'll have to walk around the city. Frank, would you come with me?"

Frank beamed. "Absolutely."

"And, uh... Leo," Hazel added. "It might be a good idea if you came along too. The fish-centaurs said we'd need your help with something mechanical."

"Yeah," Leo said. "No problem."

Frank's smile turned into something more like Chrysaor's mask, and I suppressed a snort by squeezing Lit's hand. I could feel the tension among those three, but it was different since they'd gotten knocked into the Atlantic. It wasn't just two guys competing for Hazel. It was like the three of them were locked together, acting out some kind of murder mystery, but they hadn't yet discovered which of them was the victim.

Piper drew her knife and set it on the rail. "Jason and I can watch the ship for now, probably with Lit and Lydia's help. I'll see what Katoptris can show me. But, Hazel, if you guys get a fix on Nico's location, don't go in there by yourselves. Come back and get us. It will take all of us to fight the giants."

She didn't say the obvious: even if all of us combined forces at once, it wouldn't be enough unless we had a god on our side.

"Good idea," Percy said at last. "How about we plan to meet back here at... what?"

"Three this afternoon?" I suggested. "That's probably the latest we could rendezvous and still hope to fight the giants and save Nico. If something happens to change the plan, try and send an Iris-message as soon as you find out what's going to change things."

The others nodded in agreement, but I noticed most people turned to Annabeth even though I had been the one that spoke. Another thing no one wanted to say: Annabeth would be on a different schedule. She might be back at three, or much later, or never. But she would be on her own, searching for the Athena Parthenos.

Coach Hedge grunted. "That'll give me time to eat the coconuts— I mean dig the coconuts out of our hull. Percy, Annabeth... I don't like you two going off on your own. Just remember: behave. If I hear about any funny business, I will ground you until the Styx freezes over." I noticed this made Percy smile.

"We'll be back soon," he promised. He looked around at us, like this was the last time we ever be together. "Good luck, everyone."

Leo lowered the gangplank, and Percy and Annabeth were first off the ship.

As Hazel, Frank, and Leo began to leave, I went over to Leo and gave him a firm hug of encouragement. "Stay safe, little brother," I said, knowing he'd have to deal with third wheeling Hazel and Frank. He smiled when I ruffled his hair and sent him off.

Piper blew out of her nostrils. "So, Jason and I are going to have a picnic. Care to join?"

"No thanks," Lit said. "I want to train more."

"Again?" I whined.

"Yes. Have to be ready to face the giants."

I sighed and waved at Piper and Jason, who walked off the gangplank.

Lit trotted very happily back to my room before grabbing my knife belt and starting with a few warm up throws.

I sat on my bed for awhile, just watching him. His technique had indeed improved. He knew how to square his hips and hold the knife. He'd practiced so many different techniques that he'd found which ones worked for him, and perfected them to fit his unique style. He'd worked so hard the past days of training that I found myself feeling phenomenally proud of him. He looked so cute, biting his lip as he calculated a throw. He was still hesitant on throwing, and needed to pause and calculate things before he could actually gather the guts to toss it across the air, but it was improvement from the beginning nevertheless.

I had started to realize that I really, really, really did love him. Of course, our fight and all my thoughts and memories still weren't enough to push me to say it to him. It was as if I felt everything would be lost, like there wouldn't be more after that. I felt that love was the ultimate part of a relationship, and after it got to the point where two people loved each other, it was the furthest they could go. I don't know. I just felt like that'd be it, and everything else would be the same once we defeated Gaea. Sure, cute dates, but we'd just be repeating 'I love you's' to each other for the rest of our lives. It was stupid, really, and I didn't want to think it that, but I did. I had to stop that way of thinking. I had to.

But even as I looked at Lit all I could feel besides love was fear. Fear that I'd lose him in a battle, fear that he would get hurt and never be the same. I remembered Luke had changed after he got his scar. Hell, I changed after my cheek became a host to the mark of my brother's betrayal and full fall into service of Kronos. And Lit's scars were all part of a collection of events and people that changed him. I couldn't help but remember Hercules mentioning how Lit used to sleep around. ' _Fighter in the streets, demon in the sheets._ ' As much as it made me blush, it was a manifestation of something greater. Lit wasn't that person. So many things had changed him. And one more major injury or event could change him again, and he'd no longer be the Lit I fell in love with. He could be broken the way any of us could. I know if I lost him, I would break and no one would be able to fix me. I suppose I was paranoid that admitting my love would bring bad luck and some part of us would be wound so tightly together that we'd become more breakable. And that terrified me.

"Lydia?"

I flinched as I was snapped back into reality, not realizing Lit had been calling me.

"Baby, are you okay? You've been staring at the target for a long time."

"I'm fine," I said quickly, blinking a few times before looking down. My eyes watered, probably having gotten dry from me zoning out.

He dropped his knives immediately and came to me, kneeling before me and taking my hands.

"What're you thinking of?" He asked softly.

"Everything," I mumbled, looking at him. "I just worry. About Annabeth. About us."

Then, I admitted everything that'd been on my mind. I just couldn't hold it back— he needed to know.

"Please don't get mad at me," I said in a small voice. "I know I was comparing you way too much to Ethan and I was being so paranoid and—"

He pressed his finger to my lips. His eyes shone in the light, his lips trembling ever so slightly. "Lydia, baby, don't be dumb. I could neverget mad at you. I'm sorry I was so rude before."

"I-I'm sorry I couldn't get over Ethan, and I was—"

"Shhh...." He moved to sit down on the bed, and pulled me to sit on his lap. I blushed as he wrapped his arms around me. "Lydia, I love you. I do. And I don't hold it against you for not saying it back. I know you love me, you've made that clear. They're words. To me, your actions are more meaningful, and you've treated me so well. You accepted me when no one else would. You believed in me. You made me a better man. Lydia, I know that you love me. I don't need to hear three words from you to know that. And as for your fears... everything about this is unpredictable. Yes, I changed a lot. I was stupid before, a playboy and reckless man who didn't know what he was doing. Yes, I changed, but for the better. There is so much more. After this, you'll become a badass surgeon... I'll be a badass lawyer... we can live together and go on dates and constantly remind each other that we are in love and that— that's going to happen. We're going to be okay. I can promise you I will do everything in my power to make sure it happens."

I sighed softly, offering him a smile, before laying my head on his shoulder and just letting him hug me. I felt better, knowing he understood. That's exactly why I love him.

After awhile, I got up and helped him train again for awhile, feeling significantly more relaxed now. Lit was in a better mood after our talk too, and his accuracy improved.

But then, he challenged me to make another ring around his body with knives, and I accepted immediately. He stood by the wall, and I threw without hesitation, leaving one knife lodged about an inch over his longes strand of hair, another near his right middle finger, the next a centimeter from his pinky, and the last dangerously close to his manhood between his legs.

His eyes sparkled mischievously. "What was that last one for?"

"You said around your body, so I technically got the four cardinal points," I said innocently.

"Did you now?" He came away from the wall, his eyes flashing in a way I'd never seen them flash before.

I gulped a bit, wondering what he was thinking. "I-I wasn't going to hurt you—"

"Oh, I know you weren't."

In an instant, he'd picked me up and tossed me on the bed, making me shriek as he abruptly slammed his lips against mine.

All training was forgotten. I sucked in a long breath and kissed back, as his hands began sliding down to hold my hips, every now and then tracing circles across them. My hands immediately moved from his muscular arms to the back of his neck and then his cheeks before slipping to tangle through his curly hair. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as he pressed himself close to me. My stomach had a strange jumpy feeling, and I didn't understand what I was feeling until it all clicked, and I had the urge to tear his clothes off, which I'd never had before. The feeling of him kissing me was so intoxicating that I knew right then and there what I wanted, and how far I wanted to go.

It was like my hands had a mind of their own. Without hesitation I pulled at his shirt, and before I knew it, I was wearing nothing but my bra and underwear while Lit was in his boxers. My eyes were shut, and I let out a loud moan as Lit attached his lips to my neck, his hands caressing my thighs and spreading my legs to have them wrap around his waist. I didn't object, and coiled them tightly around him, gasping a bit when I felt not only a difference near my own core, but also when I felt something of his pressing against me.

"Lydia," he panted softly as he began to grind against me, emitting another loud, guttural moan from my throat. "I—"

"Shut up and keep going," I choked immediately, my nails departing from where they'd been digging into his shoulders to reach behind me and unclasp my bra before throwing it across the room. Without thinking, I looped my fingers through my underwear and kicked it off.

I opened my eyes just in time to see Lit's face turn beet red as he looked over my body. He let out a shaky breath, biting his lip, and his hand traced down, caressing the exposed parts of me he'd never gotten to see before. It made me shiver and moan, and Lit gulped visibly as he continued to touch me. "Lydia are you sure—?" He asked uncertainly. I nodded, and grabbed for the hem of his boxers, looking into his eyes.

I feel like the knock on the door that followed was punishment for me succumbing to my impulses. I shrieked as Lit suddenly pressed onto me to shield my body from the view of Piper, who opened the door probably thinking we were still training.

"Holy Hera!" She screamed, her hands flying to cover her eyes. "Doors have locks for a reason!"

"Piper, you just opened it without waiting for approval!" I cried as I scrambled to put my clothes back on.

"Just— hurry up and change— oh gods— Percy's back!"

She sprinted away, and with a loud whine, I got up to get dressed.

Lit looked like he'd seen a ghost as he watched me go retrieve my bra from where it landed on the floor. "Y-You wanted—?"

"Yes, I did," I muttered shamelessly. "But I guess it'll have to wait...."

I wish Piper hadn't interrupted it before it started.

___________

One we'd gotten dressed and gathered on deck for Coach Hedge to also hear the story, Percy told us what's happened with Annabeth.

"So Annabeth was kidnapped on a motor scooter," Piper summed up, trying not to look at me or Lit, "by Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn."

"Not kidnapped exactly," Percy said. "But I've got this bad feeling..." He took a deep breath, like he was trying hard not to freak out. "Anyway, she's— she's gone. Maybe I shouldn't have let her, but—"

"You had to," I said soothingly. "You knew she had to go alone. Besides, Annabeth is tough and smart. She'll be fine."

His shoulders relaxed a little. "Maybe you're right. Anyway, Gregory— I mean Tiberinus— said we had less time to rescue Nico than we thought. Hazel and the guys aren't back yet?"

Piper checked the time on the helm control. "It's two in the afternoon. We said three o'clock for a rendezvous."

"At the latest," Jason said.

Percy pointed at Piper's dagger. "Tiberinus said you could find Nico's location... You know, with that."

Piper bit her lip. "I've tried," she said. "The dagger doesn't always show what I want to see. In fact, it hardly ever does."

"Please," Percy insisted. "Try again." Completed with those sea green eyes, like a cute baby seal that needed help. Piper looked at me like she was wondering how Annabeth ever won an argument with this guy. Clearly, she hadn't known Annabeth as long as I had, because I had a pretty good idea how she always won.

"Fine," she sighed, and drew her dagger.

"While you're at it," said Coach Hedge, "see if you can get the latest baseball scores. Italians don't cover baseball worth beans."

"Shh." Piper studied the bronze blade. The light shimmered. I saw a loft apartment filled with Roman demigods. A dozen of them stood around a dining table as Octavian talked and pointed to a big map. Rena paced next to the windows, gazing down at Central Park. "That's not good," Lit muttered. "They've already set up a forward base in Manhattan." "And that map shows Long Island," I added.

"They're scouting territory," Jason guessed. "Discussing invasion routes."

Piper made a face that made it clear she didn't want to see that. Lights suddenly rippled across the blade. I saw ruins— a few crumbling walls, a single column, a stone floor covered with moss and dead vines— all clustered on a grassy hillside dotted with pine trees. "I was just there," Percy said. "That's in the old Forum."

The view zoomed in. On one side of the stone floor, a set of stairs had been excavated, leading down to a modern iron gate with a padlock. The blade's image zoomed straight through the doorway, down the spiral stairwell, and into a dark, cylindrical chamber like the inside of a grain silo. Piper dropped the blade.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked. "It was showing us something."

"We can't go in there," Piper said immediately, looking very anxious.

Percy frowned. "Piper, Nico is dying. We've got to find him. Not to mention, Rome is about to get destroyed."

She gulped and hesitantly picked up the knife again. In the blade, two giants in gladiator armor sat on oversized praetors' chairs. The giants toasted each other with golden goblets as if they'd just won an important fight. Between them stood a large bronze jar. The vision zoomed in again. Inside the jar, Nico di Angelo was curled into a ball, no longer moving, all the pomegranate seeds eaten.

"We're too late," Jason said.

"No we're not," Lit countered, narrowing his eyes. "His throat is pulsating. He's alive. He must have gone into a deeper trance to buy time— but today is his last day. Children of Hades are strong. He will make it until we can rescue him."

The blade's surface went dark. Piper slipped it back into its sheath. "We should wait for the others," she said in a shaky voice. "Hazel, Frank, and Leo should be back soon."

"No, we can't wait," Percy and I said in creepy unison.

Coach Hedge grunted. "It's just two giants. If you guys want, I can take them."

"Uh, Coach," Jason said, "that's a great offer, but we need you to man the ship— or goat the ship."

"Whatever," Hedge scowled. "And let you five have all the fun?"

Percy gripped his arm. "Hazel and the others need you here. When they get back, they'll need your leadership. You're their rock."

"Yeah," Jason managed with a straight face. "Leo always says you're his rock. You can tell them where we've gone and bring the ship around to meet us at the Forum."

"And here." Piper unstrapped Katoptris and put it in Coach Hedge's hands. His eyes widened. "Keep an eye on us with the blade," she suggested. "And you can check the baseball scores." That sealed the deal. Hedge nodded grimly, prepared to do his part for the quest. "All right," he said. "But if any giants come this way—"

"By all means, blast them," I encouraged.

"What about annoying tourists?"

"No," we all said in unison.

"Bah, fine. Just don't take too long, or I'm coming after you with ballistae blazing."

___________

**A/N: Hey all! It's been two months since I last updated, so I'm going to do my best to start updating this story again. Most likely, one week will be devoted to an update for The Murderess while the next will be for The Other Castellan. I'll try my hardest to keep it going!**

**Anyways, what were your thoughts on this chapter? I love reading comments >:) **


	63. We Dance With Death (Not Really)

After we almost drowned in the nymphaeum due to the nymphs revenge, we didn't really feel motivated to do much else, but we had to keep going.

I didn't want to remember it, not that I could anyway because we'd arrived soon after leaving the Argo II and I'd actually been knocked unconscious. Besides, that's a Piper-caliber adventure, and my retelling wouldn't do it justice.

Now, we were really in for it. We were inside the Colosseum, and everything felt like it was about to go wrong.

I was trying to watch out for traps, using my powers to sense what I could. But of course, everything looked like a potential trap. When we stopped so I could concentrate and pull out the holographic image only I could see so that I knew what we were up against, nothing really stood out.

"We're all clear in terms of traps, but it feels... wrong," I mumbled. "This is reminding me too much of the Labyrinth. Only this time I can't sense anyone's presence— not even the giants."

"Same," Percy said as we jumped over a water trench and ducked under a row of caged wolves. "I wish Hazel were here."

"Me too," I whispered, leading the way. We made it about halfway to the bronze jar when the ceiling opened above us. A platform lowered, and standing there like an actor, with one hand raised and his head high, was the purple haired giant Ephialtes.

Just like in the dream I'd had, the Big F was small by giant standards— about twelve feet tall— but he had tried to make up for it with his loud outfit. He'd changed out of the gladiator armor and was now wearing a Hawaiian shirt that even Dionysus would've found vulgar. It had a garnish print made up of dying heroes, horrible tortures, and lions eating slaves in the Colosseum. The giant's head was braided with gold and silver coins. He had a ten foot spear strapped to his back, which wasn't a good fashion statement with the shirt. He wore bright white jeans and leather sandals and his... well, not feet, but curved snakeheads. The snakes flicked their tongues and writhed as if they didn't appreciate holding up the weight of the giant.

Ephialtes smiled at us like he was super pleased to see us. "At last!" He bellowed. "So very happy! Honestly, I didn't think you'd make it past the nymphs, but it's so much better that you did. Much more entertaining. You're just in time for the main event!"

Jason, piper, Lit, and I closed ranks on either side of Percy. Having us all there made me feel a little better about this whole situation. This giant was smaller than a lot of the monsters I had faced, but something about him made my skin crawl. Ephialtes's eyes danced with a crazy light.

"We're here," Percy reiterated. "Let our friend go."

"Of course!" Ephialtes said. "Though I fear he's a bit past his expiration date. Otis, where are you?" A stone's throw away, the floor opened, and the other giant rose on a platform.

"Otis, finally!" His brother cried with glee. "You're not dressed the same as me! You're...." Ephialtes's expression turned to horror. "What are you wearing?"

Otis looked like the world's largest, grumpiest ballet dancer. He wore a skin tight baby blue leotard. The toes of his massive dancing slippers were cut away so that his snakes could protrude. A diamond tiara (I decided to be generous and think of it as a King's crown) was nestled in his green, firecracker braided hair. He looked glum and miserably uncomfortable, but he managed a dancer's bow, which couldn't have been easy with snake feet and a huge spear on his back.

"Gods and Titans!" Ephialtes yelled. "It's showtime! What are you thinking?"

"I didn't want to wear the gladiator outfit," Otis complained. "I still think a ballet would be perfect, you know, well Armageddon is going on." He raised his eyebrows hopefully at us. "I have some extra costumes—" "No!" Ephialtes snapped. He turned to face us, grinning so painfully it looked like he was being electrocuted. "Please excuse my brother. His stage presence is awful and he has no sense of style."

"And you do?" Lit muttered under his breath.

"Now about our friend," Percy continued.

"Oh, him," Ephialtes sneered. "We were going to let him finish dying in public, but he has no entertainment value. He spent days curled up sleeping. What sort of spectacle is that? Otis, tip over the jar."

Otis stretched over to the dais, stopping occasionally to do a plié. He knocked over the door, the lid popped off, and Nico di Angelo spilled out. The sight of his deathly pale face and too-skinny frame made my heart stop. I couldn't tell whether he was alive or dead, and I was supposed to be the doctor in the group. I wanted to rush over and check his vitals, but Ephialtes stood my way.

"Now we have to hurry," the Big F said. "We should go through your stage directions. The hypogeum is all set!"

Jason raised his gold gladius. "We're not going to be part of any show. And what's a hypo— whatever you call it?"

"Hypogeum!" Ephialtes said. "You're a Roman demigod— you should know! Ah, but I suppose if we do our job right down here in the underworks, you really wouldn't know the hypogeum exists."

"I know that word," Piper said. "It's the area under a coliseum. It housed all the set pieces and machinery used to create special effects."

"Big Brain," I mumbled.

Ephialtes clapped enthusiastically. "Exactly so! Are you a student of the theater, my girl?"

"Uh... my dad's an actor."

"Wonderful!" Ephialtes turned to his brother. "Did you hear that, Otis?"

"Actor," Otis huffed. "Everybody's an actor. "No one can dance."

"Be nice!" Ephialtes scolded. "At any rate, my girl, you're absolutely right, but the hypogeum is much more than the stage works for a coliseum. You've heard that in the old days some giants were imprisoned under the earth, and from time to time they would cause earthquakes when they tried to break free? Well, we've done much better! Otis and I have been imprisoned under Rome for eons, but we've kept busy building our very own hypogeum. Now we're ready to create the greatest spectacle Rome has ever seen— and the last!"

At Otis's feet, Nico shuddered, and my heart rate spiked. He was alive.

"So!" I said, trying to get the attention on me. "Stage directions, you said? I've always wanted to be a theater kid, but alas I ended up a biology kid."

"Yes!" Ephialtes said. "Now, I know the bounty stipulates that Percy Jackson and the girl Annabeth should be kept alive if possible, but honestly, the girl is already doomed, so I hope you don't mind if we deviate from the plan and have you take her place, my dear Lydia."

I flinched. "Already doomed? You don't mean—"

"Dead? No not yet. But don't worry! We've got your other friends locked up, you see."

Piper made a strangled sound. "Leo? Hazel and Frank?"

"Those are the ones," Ephialtes agreed. "So we can use them for the sacrifice. We can let the Athena girl die, which will please Her Ladyship. And we can use you five for the show! Gaea will be a bit disappointed, but really, this is a win-win. Your deaths will be much more entertaining!"

Jason snarled. "You want entertaining? I'll give you entertaining."

Piper stepped forward. "I got a better idea. Why don't you let us go? That would be an incredible twist. Wonderful entertainment value, and it would prove to the world how cool you are." Nico stirred, and Otis looked down at him. His snaky feet flicked their tongues at Nico's head. "Plus!" Piper added quickly. "Plus, we could do some dance moves as were escaping. Perhaps a ballet number!" Otis forgot all about Nico. "You see?" He told his brother. "That's what I was telling you! It would be incredible!"

For a second, I thought Piper was going to pull it off. Otis looked at his brother imploringly. Ephialtes tugged at his chin as if considering the idea. At last he shook his head. "No, no, I'm afraid not. You see, my girl, I am the anti-Dionysus. I have a reputation to uphold. Dionysus thinks he knows parties? He is wrong! His revels are tame compared to what I can do. That old stunt we pulled, for instance, when we piled up mountains to reach Olympus—"

"I told you that would never work," Otis mumbled.

"And the time my brother covered himself with meat and ran through an obstacle course of drakons—"

"You said Hephaestus-TV would show it during prime time and no one even saw me—"

"Well, this spectacle will be even better," Ephialtes promised. "The Romans always wanted bread and circuses. As we destroy their city, I will offer them both. Behold, a sample!"

Something dropped from the ceiling and landed at Lit's feet— a loaf of sandwich bread in a white plastic wrapper with red and yellow dots. "Wonder Bread?" He scoffed, looking quizzically at me.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" Ephialtes's eyes danced with crazy excitement. "You can keep that loaf. I plan on distributing millions to the people of Rome as I obliterate them."

"Wonder bread is good," Otis admitted. "Though the Romans should dance for it."

I glanced over at Nico, who was just starting to move. I wanted him to at least be conscious enough to crawl out of the way when the fighting started. If I could get to him and just use some of my powers to heal him a bit....

"Maybe," Percy ventured, "you should bring our other friends here. You know, spectacular deaths... the more the merrier, right?"

"Hmm." Ephialtes fiddled with a button on his Hawaiian shirt. "No, it's really too late to change the choreography. But never fear— the circuses will be marvelous! Ah, not the modern sort of circus, mind you. That would require clowns, and I hate clowns."

"Everyone hates clowns," Otis said. "Even other clowns hate clowns."

"Exactly," his brother agreed. "But we have much better entertainment planned! The five of you will die in agony, up above, where all the gods in mortals can watch. But that's just the opening ceremony! In the old days, games went on for days or weeks. Our spectacle— the destruction of Rome— will go on for one full month until Gaea awakens."

"Wait," Lit said, his eyes wide. "One month, and Gaea wakes up?!"

Ephialtes waved away the question. "Yes, yes. Something about August first being the best date to destroy humanity. Not important! In her infinite wisdom, the Earth Mother has agreed that Rome can be destroyed first, slowly and spectacularly. It's only fitting!"

"So...." Percy said, picking up the Wonder bread from where it had remained at my feet. "You're Gaea's warm up act."

Ephialtes's face darkened. "This is no warm-up, demigod! We'll release wild animals and monsters into the streets. Our special effects department will produce fires and earthquakes. Sinkholes and volcanoes will randomly appear out of nowhere! Ghosts or run rampant."

"The ghost thing won't work," Otis said. "Our focus groups say it won't pull ratings."

"Doubters!" Ephialtes said. "The hypogeum can make anything work!"

Ephialtes stormed over to a big table covered with a sheet. He pulled the sheet away, revealing a collection of levers and knobs almost as complicated looking as Leo's control panel on the Argo II.

"This button?" Ephialtes said. "This one will eject a dozen rabid wolves into the Forum. And this one will summon automated gladiators to battle tourists at the Trevi Fountain. This one will cause the Tiber to flood its bank so we can reenact a naval battle right in the Piazza Navona! Percy Jackson, you should appreciate that, as a son of Poseidon!"

"Uh, I still think the letting us go idea is better," Percy said, the bread flopping in his hand.

"He's right," Piper tried again. "Otherwise we get into this whole confrontation thing. We fight you. You fight us. We wreck your plans. You know, we've defeated a lot of giants lately. I'd hate for things to get out of control."

Ephialtes nodded thoughtfully. "You're right."

Piper blinked. "I am?"

"We can't let things get out of control. Everything has to be timed perfectly. But don't worry, I've choreographed your deaths. You'll love it."

Nico started to crawl away, groaning. I really wished he would move faster and groan less, but I knew that it was physically impossible for him, so I didn't think that horrible thought again. Percy looked like he was considering throwing his Wonder bread at him as sustenance.

Jason switch to sword hand. "And if we refuse to cooperate with your spectacle?"

"Well you can't kill us." Ephialtes laughed as if the idea was absolutely ridiculous. "You've no gods with you, and that's the only way you could hope to triumph."

"I'm starting to hate the fact you gave up being a goddess," Lit whispered in my ear as he started to take out a knife.

"Me too, you know," I whispered back.

"Really, it would be much more sensible to die painfully," Ephialtes finished. "Sorry, but the show much go on."

Percy looked at us. "I'm getting really tired of this guy's shirt."

"Combat time?" I asked enthusiastically.

"I hate Wonder Bread," Lit said.

"I second that," Jason agreed.

"Let's go for it, then." Piper grabbed her horn of plenty.

Together, we charged, and things went wrong immediately.

The giants vanished in twin puffs of smoke. They reappeared halfway across the room, each in a different spot. I sprinted toward Ephialtes alongside Percy, but slots in the floor open under our feet, and metal walls shot up on either side, separating us from our friends.

The walls started closing in on us like the sides of a vise grip. Percy jumped up and grabbed the bottom of the hydros cage. He pulled me up with him, and we caught a brief glimpse of Piper leaping across hopscotch powder in a fiery pits, making her way towards Nico, who was dazed and weaponless and being stalked by a pair of leopards.

"Damn it, these traps appeared and I couldn't sense them before!" I growled as I saw Jason and Lit charge at Otis, who pulled his spear and heaved a great sigh, as if he would much rather dance Swan Lake than kill another two demigods.

I registered all this in a split-second but there wasn't much Percy and I could really do about it. The hydra snapped at our hands. We swung forward, landing in a grove of painted plywood trees that sprung up from nowhere. The trees changed positions as we tried to run through them, so Riptide and Slasher joined forces to cut through the whole forest.

"Wonderful!" Ephialtes cried. He stood at his control panel about sixty feet to our left. "We'll consider this a dress rehearsal. Shall I unleash the hydra onto the Spanish Steps now?"

He pulled the lever. The cage we'd just been hanging from was now rising toward a hatch in the ceiling. In three seconds it would be gone. If we attacked the giant, the hydra would ravage the city.

"Gods damn it!" I cursed as I ripped two knives from my belt and threw them with all my might. The Celestial bronze blades sliced through the chains suspending the hydra. The cage tumbled sideways. The door broke open and the monster spilled out— right in front of Percy and I.

"Just like old times, right?" Percy said as Ephialtes grumbled. "Oh, you are a spoilsport, Castellan! Very well. Battle it here, if you must, but your deaths won't be nearly as good without the cheering crowds."

"Is it too much to hope for a battleship with bronze cannons to appear and blast the monster to pieces?" Percy yelled as we duck an acid spit.

"Not really, but we can use that to go off of!" I ripped another knife from my belt and threw it so it lodged in the hydra's stomach. "Just remember not to cut any of the heads off!"

"Rocket launchers!" Percy yelled suddenly as he ducked behind a giant hamster wheel. "In my dream!"

"Of course!" I said, sprinting after him and dodging another acid strike.

At the dais, Piper stood guard over Nico as the leopards advanced. She aimed her cornucopia and shot pot roast all over their heads. It must have smelled pretty good, because the leopards raced after it.

About eighty feet to her right, Jason and Lit battled Otis, swords against a spear. Otis had lost his diamond tiara, which now rested triumphantly atop Lit's curly head.

I had to shake some very embarrassing thoughts from my head to watch as the giant pirouetted before every attack.

Meanwhile, Ephialtes laughed as he pushed buttons on his control board, cranking the conveyor belts into high gear and opening random animal cages.

The hydra charged at the hamster wheel just as I ducked behind it. Percy swung behind a column, grabbed a garbage bag full of Wonder bread, and threw it at the monster. The hydra spit acid, which was a mistake. The bag and wrappers dissolved in midair. The Wonder bread absorbed the acid like fire extinguisher foam and splattered against the hydra, covering it in a sticky, steaming layer of high calorie poisonous goo.

"Good going, Percy!" I yelled as I looked around desperately for the rocketlauncher boxes. I was too preoccupied finding them to really stop and use my location abilities, not that they would work anyway. The monster reeled, shaking its heads and blinking Wonder acid out of its eyes.

"Lydia!" Percy yelled. I looked where he was pointing. Tucked against the back wall was a strange contraption like an artist's easel, fitted with rows of missile launchers.

I spotted a bazooka, a grenade launcher, a giant Roman candle, and a dozen other wicked-looking weapons. They all seemed to be wired together, pointing in the same direction and connected to a single bronze lever on the side. At the top of the easel, spelled in carnations, were the words: HAPPY DESTRUCTION, ROME!

Percy and I bolted toward the device, and the hydra charged after us.

"I know!" Ephialtes cried happily. "We can start with explosions along the Via Labicana! We can't keep our audience waiting forever."

Percy scrambled behind the easel and turned it toward Ephialtes. I jumped at the controls and yanked as hard as I could against the lever.

It didn't fucking budge.

"Try again, Lydia!" Percy yelled.

I did, and nothing happened. "Damn it— damn it!" I leapt up and used all my momentum to tug one last time, and this time it budged.

The easel shook and the weapons began to hiss just as the eight hydra heads loomed over us.

"Let's hope this work!" I screamed.

"Duck and cover!" Percy bellowed to the others.

We leapt to the side as the easel fired. The sound was like a fiesta in the middle of an exploding gunpowder factory. The hydra vaporized instantly.

Unfortunately, the recoil knocked the easel sideways and sent more projectiles shooting all over the room. A chunk of ceiling collapsed and crushed a waterwheel. More cages snapped off their chains, unleashing two zebras and a pack of hyenas. A grenade exploded over Ephialtes's head, but it only blasted him off his feet. The control board didn't even look damage.

Percy bolted after Nico and Piper as sandbags rained all around the room. Since Lit and Jason were still midway through battling with Otis, I sprinted in their direction instead.

Just as Percy and Piper moved to try and pull Nico to safety, one of the sandbags caught Piper's shoulder and knocked her down, making her let out a pained scream.

At the moment I'd just arrived beside Lit and Jason. Jason, however, seemed to forget about the giant, and bolted toward Piper. Otis aimed a spear at Jason's back.

Everything happened so fast.

"LOOK OUT!" Lit yelled as he jumped forward to push Jason out of the way.

I reacted just as quickly. Lit, in trying to save Jason, had thrown himself in the way of the spear.

Knowing my only chance to save him was to block, I did, and swiped Slasher out to stop the spear from diving into Lit's back.

The only problem was that Otis's grip had loosened, and next thing I knew, my own strike had changed the direction of the spear and caused it to lodge a centimeter away from my heart.


	64. Everything Goes Right and Wrong

Everything that happened after that sort of kind of made me lose my mind.

One minute I felt extreme pain. The next everything went black but I could hear Lit saying something, though his words were muffled and I understood absolutely nothing of it.

Then, I'd felt my body be laid down, and I lost all other feeling. I knew I was probably bleeding profusely, and my chest was tight, but I didn't actually feel. It was weird.

But next thing, a very familiar voice— one I hadn't hurt in awhile— rang out, and from there, I was suddenly okay enough to open my eyes.

Standing over me was none other than Dionysus— or Bacchus, I guess.

I was thrown out of the loop when he suddenly leaned over and touched my forehead. I hissed in pain immediately after, but then I felt a strange cooling sensation, and conveniently slumped back into Piper, who had a nymph beside her, treating her shoulder.

"There you go," Bacchus said, looking down at Lit, who looked abnormally relieved. Maybe he'd been snarling at Bacchus to heal me. "Now boys, please carry on."

"Didn't you come here to help?" Percy asked bluntly. "You just healed Lydia."

"Ah yes, I do remember she was quite helpful to Pollux," he mused, flashing me a look. "And I appreciated the sacrifice at sea. A whole ship full of Diet Coke. Very nice, although I would've preferred Diet Pepsi."

"And six million in gold and jewels," Percy muttered.

"Yes, although with demigod parties of five or more, the gratuity is included, so that wasn't necessary. At any rate, you got my attention. Now I need to see if you're worthy of my help. Go ahead. Battle. If I'm impressed, I'll jump in for the grand finale."

"Hold on," Lit said, his eyes darkening. As hot as it was, my heart was still too weak to flutter as it usually did as it compensated for the injury. "We speared one, dropped the roof on the other— Tartarus— my girlfriend practically got stabbed by one. What do you consider impressive?"

"Ah, a good question." Bachus tapped what I recognized to be a thyrsus. "Perhaps you need inspiration! The stage hasn't been properly set. You call this a spectacle, Ephialtes? Let me show you how it's done." He dissolved into a purple mist, and I felt myself abruptly weigh nothing as the world became dark.

But next thing, I felt my body reappear again as I watched the floor rumble and rise, the ceiling opening in a series of panels, letting sunlight pour in and making the air shimmer like a mirage.

I blinked as the hypogeum ascended through a forest of weathered stone columns, in the middle of a ruined coliseum— though this, this had transformed into the Colosseum. Bacchus seemed to have made the giants' machines work overtime to create a masterpiece. I could see that I was still with my head leaning on Piper's lap. Beside her, Nico sat upright, and the nymph was still bandaging Piper. There was silk all around us, flanked by banners and golden eagles. The roar of applause came from thousands of shimmering purple ghosts all around us— the Lares of Rome brought back for an encore performance.

Vents opened in the floor and sprayed sand across the arena. Huge props sprang up— garage-sizes mountains of plaster, stone columns, and strangely enough, life size plastic barnyard animals. A small lake appeared to one side. Ditches crisscrossed the arena floor in case anyone was in the mood for trench warfare.

Percy, Jason, and Lit all stood together, armed, facing the twin giants in the center.

"This is a proper show!" Bacchus boomed, appearing beside me and making me flinch. I sat up to watch, and noticed a satyr offering up Doritos and grapes to the god.

"Feeling better, Lydia?" Piper asked with a wince as she eagerly moved forward to watch.

"Yeah," I said, gazing at the Colosseum around me. "I think he healed me completely. I'm just weak..." I turned to Nico. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," he said, looking at me in a way he never had before. He opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out.

"Are you just going to sit there?" Percy asked suddenly, drawing my attention down.

"The demigod is right!" Ephialtes bellowed. "Fight us yourself, coward! Um, without the demigods."

Bacchus smiled lazily. "Juno says she's assembled a worthy crew of demigods. Show me. Entertain me, heroes of Olympus. Give me a reason to do more. Being a god has its privileges." He popped his soda can top, and the crowd cheered.

The look that appeared on Percy's face reminded me so much of Luke in that moment. I knew right then that Percy understood him, even just for a little bit.

The gods were using us, as they always had. And now, Bacchus doing this— it almost looked like Percy had had the last straw.

It was the giants who made the first choice that snapped Percy out of his daze. Together they picked up a fake mountain and hurled it at the boys.

Lit grabbed Jason and Percy and dove them into the nearest trench. I couldn't see them, so I sat up onto my knees, ignoring the discomfort it caused.

Let me say I have never seen people work together better than what the boys did.

It was like water, wind, and earth all churned together to form a hurricane that no one had ever seen before. In an instant, the three of them sprang out. Percy raised his hands and a water pipe exploded, breaking through the ground with Lit's help, who slashed his hands in the air and made the ground practically burst open, enabling Jason to blast wind at Ephialtes, toppling him over and leaving him trapped under a gigantic watery mountain that Lit and Percy formed together, leaving only the snaky feet of giant sticking out, the heads darting around, wondering where the rest of their body had gone. The crowd roared with approval, but the boys seemed to know Ephialtes was stunned at best, because they immediately converged onto Otis.

He stood absolutely no change against them. Lit dragged his hands hard up to the ceiling, making the earth churn and wrap around the giant's waist to sink him down so his upper body was all that stuck out. Percy and Jason created a whirlpool that sucked Otis further down. Lit seized the opportunity and launched himself at the giant, stabbing his sword into Otis's head.

That's when Ephialtes burst out from under the mountain they'd created. It seemed getting flattened under it had only energized him. His eyes danced with murderous light. The afternoon sun glinted in his coin braided hair. Even his snake feet looked angry, baring their fangs and hissing.

"You dare use the earth against me?" He snarled at Lit, advancing straight to him. I felt afraid, because Lit hadn't so much as flinched. He looked calmer than I'd ever seen him. "You, a child of Demeter, a puny boy, think you can use the Earth Mother's domain against me?"

Lit looked boredly at him. "Yeah, I fucking can."

When Ephialtes charged, Lit slashed his blade up, and the two began to duel as Percy and Jason fought to keep Otis under the whirlpool.

Gold and bronze flew in the air as the spear and sword collided again and again. "I will not yield!" Ephialtes roared. "You may have ruined my spectacle, but Gaea will still destroy your world!"

Lit lashed out, slicing the giant's spear in half. Ephialtes wasn't even fazed. The giant swept low with the blunt end and knocked him off his feet. Lit grunted and landed hard on his sword arm, his sword clattering out of his grip. Ephialtes then made to kick him.

A strangled scream escaped my mouth, but it was cut short when Jason dove forward, stepping inside the giant's guard and stabbing his chest. Somehow, Ephialtes parried the strike, and managed to slice the tip of his spear down Jason's chest, ripping his purple shirt into a vest. Jason stumbled, looking at the thin line of blood down his sternum. Ephialtes kicked him backwards, and both Piper and I screamed.

Percy stopped working the whirlpool in an attempt to get the guys some time to get up, but Ephialtes knocked him down just as easily.

"LIT!" I cried, holding my chest. "PERCY! JASON! GET UP!"

Just when I thought they might, Otis broke out of his prison, and both giants surrounded them.

But just as quickly as the tables had turned, they did it again. Suddenly a dark oval descended across the top of the Colosseum, and I looked up to see the Argo II turning in the sky, presenting its port aide, and green fire blazing from the ballista.

Jason, Percy, and Lit rolled away as the giants turned in time to catch the explosion that rocked the entire Colosseum, getting the full blast as the boys shielded themselves in a trench.

When the smoke cleared, Ephialtes lay charred and groaning on the arena floor, the sand around him seared into a halo of glass by the hear of the Greek fire. Otis was floundering in the lake, trying to re-form, but from the arms down he looked like a puddle of burnt oatmeal.

The ghostly crowd gave Percy, Jason, and Lit a standing ovation as the Argo II extended its landing gear and settled on the arena floor. Leo stood at the helm, Hazel and Frank grinning at his side. Coach Hedge danced around the firing platform, pumping his fist in the air and yelling, "That's what I'm talking about!"

Percy turned to Bacchus. "Well?" He yelled. "Was that entertainment enough for you, you wine breathed little—"

"No need for that." Bacchus suddenly vanished, and appeared between Lit and Jason, brushing Dorito dust off his purple robes. "I have decided you are worthy partners for this combat."

"Partners?" Lit growled. "You did nothing!"

"It'd do you wise to remember your girlfriend is alive because of me," Bacchus said flatly as he walked to the edge of the lake. Lit flashed me a look, and blew me a kiss. I caught it, smiling as I put my hand over my mouth.

Bacchus stood over Otis with the thyrsus. The crowd jeered and hollered and pointed their thumbs down. I'd never been sure whether that meant live or die. In the arena back in the Labyrinth, it'd meant one thing, and other times it was completely different. Bacchus, however, chose the more entertaining option. He smacked Otis's head with his pinecone staff, and the giant pile of Otismeal disintegrated completely.

The crowd went wild. Bacchus climbed out of the lake and strutted to Ephialtes, who was still lying spread-eagled, overcooked and smoking.

Again, Bacchus raised his thyrsus.

"DO IT!" The crowd roared.

"DON'T DO IT!" Ephialtes wailed.

Bacchus tapped the giant on the nose, and Ephialtes crumbled to ashes.

The ghosts cheered and threw spectral confetti as Bacchus strode around the stadium with his arms raised triumphantly, exulting in the worship. "That, my friends, is a show! And of course I did something, son of Ceres, I killed two giants!"

Lit didn't seem to appreciate the comment, he just looked confused as to why he was called a son of Ceres until he remembered that was Demeter's Roman form.

Piper, Nico, and I made our way down from the emperor's box as the others disembarked from the ship. The arena floor remained solid, thankfully, while everything else turned to mist.

"Well," Bacchus said. "That was fun. You have my permission to continue your voyage."

"Your permission?" Percy snarled.

"Yes." Bacchus raised an eyebrow. "Although your voyage—" he pointed between Percy and I with two fingers, "may be a little harder than you expect, son of Neptune and daughter of Mercury."

"Poseidon and Hermes," Percy said automatically. "What do you mean about my voyage?"

"You might try the parking lot behind the Emmanuel Building," Bacchus mused. "Best place to break though. Now, good bye, my friends. And ah, good luck with that other little matter."

The god vaporized in a cloud of mist that smelled faintly of grape juice.

Lit seized the opportunity and threw his arms around me, which made me shriek.

"Awesome!" Hedge whooped. "Was that Dionysus? I love that guy!"

"You're alive!" Percy said to the others. "The giants said you were captured. What happened?"

Leo shrugged. "Oh, just another brilliant plan by Leo Valdez. You'd be amazed what you can do with an Archimedes sphere, a girl who can sense stuff underground, and a weasel."

"I was the weasel," Frank said glumly. I dragged Lit forward to pat him on the back, which made him feel a bit better.

"Basically," Leo explained, "I activated a hydraulic screw with the Archimedes device— which is going to be awesome once I install it in the ship, by the way. Hazel sensed the easiest path to drill to the surface. We made a tunnel big enough for a weasel, and Frank climbed up with a simple transmitter that I slapped together. After that, it was just a matter of hacking into Coach Hedge's favorite satellite channels and telling him to bring the ship around to rescue us. After he got us, finding you was easy, thanks to the godly light show at the Colosseum."

Then, Leo became serious as Percy asked— "Where's Annabeth?"

Leo winced. "Yeah, about that... she's still in trouble, we think. Hurt, broken leg, maybe— at least according to this vision Gaea showed us. Rescuing her is our next stop."

I felt a surge of adrenaline, and it was suddenly like I hadn't been injured.

"Tell us the vision," I said immediately. "Tell us everything."

The floor shook. The wooden planks began to disappear, spilling sand into the pits of the hypogeum below.

"Let's talk on board," Hazel suggested. "We'd better take off while we still can."

______________

It was only after Leo told us about the vision and that Nico explained a very sad story about him being in Tartarus and being forced to keep the two Camps a secret that we got a few minutes of downtime before we reached the Emmanuel Building.

"You okay?" Lit asked as I leaned over the rail of the Argo II.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, offering him an encouraging smile. "I got lucky with this injury. Dionysus— I mean Bacchus— healed me right away. I hardly felt any pain."

He blew a hard breath out of his nose, and came close enough to wrap his arms around me again. I leaned my head into his chest. His strong arms traced circles down my back as he held me, and I felt my muscles relax a bit.

"So, we got interrupted earlier."

"We're going to talk about that now?" I giggled slightly, feeling my face turning red.

"Yeah. It was um, very inconvenient.

"Tell me about it. I was already fully naked."

"You're beautiful, Lydia, you know that, right? And you're talented and badass and well, honestly it sounds like I'm repeating myself but you're fucking amazing. And I don't want to if you're not ready."

"I am, Lit." I looked up at him. "If I wasn't ready, I wouldn't have let it go so far."

He blushed, and smiled a bit. "So... maybe tonight?"

"Sure," I answered, biting my lip. "I'll—"

"Okay!" Leo yelled, and I snapped my gaze up to see the parking lot we had to find. "We're gonna just crash through so hold on—"

I let Lit hold me firm as we crashed straight into the pavement, opening a fissure. Cars flew into the pit, and I saw a large cavern below.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Here!" A faint sob called back.

I yanked my body away from Lit's and practically threw my upper body over the side as I gripped the rail to look for her. "Look! There she is!"

Percy didn't hesitate to sprint to my side, throw the rope ladder down, and begin climbing down.

"Here," Lit said, tying a rope and offering me his hand. I grabbed it and in an instant he swung us down. I screamed as we flew down, suspended in midair for about five seconds before Lit landed us cleanly on the floor, and let go of me. I sprinted forward and reached Annabeth's side just as Percy arrived.

"Annabeth!" I gasped. Percy pulled us both into a hug, lacing his fingers with Annabeth's and pressing a kiss on her forehead.

"It's okay," he whispered to her. "We're together. You and me. Us and Lydia. All together."

I knew immediately that that was exactly what she'd needed to hear— knowing that we were there for her the way we had always been. Annabeth sobbed and leaned onto Percy's chest as I rubbed her back, vaguely aware that the rest of the demigods on the Argo II had now joined us.

"Your leg," Piper said as we all pulled away, looking at Annabeth's closely. "Oh Annabeth, what happened?"

Annabeth began to explain how she'd made it all the way through to this point, and how she'd encountered Arachne, and tricked her into trapping herself and then falling through a chasm to Tartarus.

"Gods of Olympus," I cursed, examining her cast, my hands tracing over it. "This should be an easy fix— but you did all that with a broken ankle? And alone?"

"Well some with a broken ankle," she said, wincing as I pulled up her jeans to press my hands against the cast, making them glow as it alleviated her pain completely.

Percy grinned at her. "You made Arachne weave her own trap. I knew you were good, but Holy Hera, Annabeth, you DID it."

"Generations of Athena kids have tried and failed," I said, smiling up at her as I tucked her pants back over the cast. "You found the Athena Parthenos."

That was the cue for everyone to turn and stare at the massive statue.

"What do we do with her?" Frank asked. "She's huge."

"We'll have to take her with us to Greece," Annabeth said. "The statue is powerful. Something about it will help us stop the giants."

I felt Lit step forward and put a protective arm around me, rubbing my back slightly. I turned to him, and he smiled.

We'd found Annabeth. Really, that was all there was left to do. Nico was okay, and the rest of us were alive.

"Mission complete," he whispered in my ear, before nipping at my earlobe. I swung my hand back to smack his abdomen. "Not now," I hissed.

"Well, I think we can fit the statue through the bay doors in the stable if we really try," Leo mused, glancing up at the Athena Pathenos and making a picture frame around it with his fingers. "If she sticks out the end, I might have to wrap a flag around her feet or something."

Annabeth shuddered slightly. "What about you guys? What happened with the giants?"

Percy took over and began telling her about finding Nico and dueling the giants for Bacchus to see, though he thankfully left out the part about me getting stabbed so she wouldn't worry.

"So the mortal side of the Doors of Death is in Epirus," Annabeth murmured thoughtfully. "At least that's somewhere we can reach."

Nico grimaced. "The other side is the problem. Tartarus."

We all went silent. I looked over at the chasm nearby, which exhaled a blast of very cold air.

"Percy," I said slowly, "Bacchus mentioned that you and I would have a harder voyage than we expected, didn't he?"

Percy's sea green eyes became stormy as he looked at the chasm as well. He slowly nodded.

"I'm starting to think," I said, pulling slightly away from Lit. "What if that—"

There was a loud groan that radiated all through the chamber, cutting off my words. The Athena Parthenos tilted dangerously to the side, its head caught on a support cable, the marble foundation under the pedestal crumbling.

"Secure it!" Annabeth screamed, her eyes wide.

"Zhang!" Leo cried. "Get me to the helm quick! The coach is up there alone!"

Frank became an enormous eagle and flew Leo up right away, while Jason put his arm around Piper. "Back for you guys in a sec." He shot up into the air, towards the Argo II.

"The floor won't last," Lit calculated gravely, looking at me. "We need to get to the ladder."

"Take Hazel and Nico," I said as Percy wrapped his arm around Annabeth's shoulder.

"What?" He said. "No— I almost lost—"

"Take them!" I cried, going over and slipping my arm under Annabeth's armpit and around her back. "I'm helping Annabeth— please."

Lit hesitated, but then nodded and picked Hazel and Nico up like they were sacks of potatoes and sprinted toward the ladder. He was faster and in good health, and I wanted to be with my friend.

Percy, Annabeth, and I moved as fast as we possibly could. Annabeth was still in no condition to sprint, even though I'd healed her ankle.

"It'll be fine," Percy said, squeezing Annabeth's hand. He smiled slightly to me, and I could tell he was worried. I had a feeling he knew what I'd been about to suggest before everything began to crumble.

I looked up and saw grappling lines were shooting madly out of the Argo II to wrap around the Athena Parthenos. Leo was shouting orders as Jason and Frank flew wildly around from line to line, trying to secure the statue.

"They're not going to make it without us all there to secure it," I mumbled. "We need more time..."

Lit had just reached the ladder. Just as he was lifting Nico onto it, Annabeth gave a gasp of pain and stumbled. LWhat is it?" I asked frantically.

Annabeth's eyes widened, and her leg swept from under her, making her fall on her face.

Hazel stared at us from Lit's arms, and her eyes widened.

"Her ankle!" She screamed. "Cut it! Cut it!"

"What the hell?" I said, scrambling over to Annabeth with Percy as she began to be dragged to the chasm.

Lit tossed Hazel up onto the ladder and threw his armor off, sprinting with all his might to where we were.

Annabeth screamed and nearly fell over the ledge. Percy grabbed her hand desperately, and I grabbed his for extra support, the both of us struggling to pull her up. Then Percy gave a yell, and lost his footing. He flew over the edge with her, and I gave a scream as I tumbled over with him, my hand just barely holding onto the ledge. I strained to hold them up, my entire arm burning like it never had before.

"Hold on!" I gasped, blinking pained tears out of my eyes. The arm Percy was holding felt like it was literally being ripped to pieces as it held the weight of him and Annabeth. Percy had managed to pull Annabeth up enough to hug her to his chest, but if I didn't manage to pull him up to be beside me, then our chances of getting back over the ledge were close to none, and then we would fall.

"LYDIA!" Lit yelled, laying down by the ledge and reaching his arm down to grip my elbow.

The pit shook furiously, and I felt Percy slipping further down, which made me cry out again. "Fuck— GODSDAMNIT IT PERCY STOP MOVING!"

"PERCY!" Lit yelled, straining to pull all three of us up, his teeth gritted. "Hold onto Lydia! Do NOT let go— AND STAY STILL!"

"Lit, let us go," Annabeth said, her voice shaking. "You can't pull us up."

Lit's face was white with effort, and I began to sob seeing how much pain he was in. My arm was on fire, and it felt like the tendons inside it were snapping, one by one. "Lit— Lit— my arm— I can't— please I need to let go or I won't be able to fix— the damage—" I screamed again, squeezing my eyes shut. "LET GO! I need to save my arm— I can't do surgery if I fuck it up— let go..."

"Please, hold ON!" He begged. "Please, Lydia... hold on.... come on, I almost got it—"

"Lydia," Percy groaned, making me look down at him, sweat dripping down my face, "let go of him."

"No, Lydia, don't!" Lit snapped, groaning loudly as he tried desperately to pull me slightly higher. I cried out even louder than before, my arm starting to lose its feeling. "LIT LET GO OF ME!" I sobbed. "My arm— I can't— PLEASE!"

"Nico!" Percy yelled at the top of his lungs to be heard over me. "The other side, Nico! We'll see you there, understand?"

From the ladder, I could see Nico staring at us, his mouth open. "Lead them all there!" Percy bellowed. "Promise me, Nico!"

He stared at me, his mouth struggling to form the words. "I-I will."

From below, I heard a voice laugh in the darkness. " _Sacrifices... beautiful sacrifices to wake the goddess..._ "

"Lydia, let go of him," Percy gasped, his eyes shut. "It'll be the three of us, like old times. They'll meet us on the other side."

"Shut up, Jackson!" Lit roared, his face contorted with pain. "Lydia—"

"I'm sorry," I sobbed, my arm unable to handle the strain of holding Percy and Annabeth. "I'm sorry. I can't— I can't.... We'll meet you there. Help them..."

"Lydia!" Lit yelled. "LYDIA! LYDIA— NO!"

"I love you," I sobbed as I shook my hand from his grasp. Lit's eyes widened and he roared angrily as I let my body fall into the chasm below.


	65. We Make The Pit Our Home

**Lydia Castellan’s POV**

_Summer 2010_

I remember when we were little, Annabeth had gone through a phase where she had been obsessed with the idea of Tartarus and what came with that. I remember she’d told me that Hesiod, an old Greek poet, speculated that it would take nine days to fall from the earth to Tartarus because it was supposedly that deep down.

First of all, fuck Hesoid. Second of all, fuck Tartarus.

I really had no idea how long it’d been. I just know I’d been crying the entire time. Annabeth had her face buried in Percy’s chest, her arms around his waist. Percy had us both in his arms, but he was leaning his head into Annabeth’s.

I was the odd one out. My head awkwardly positioned itself over Percy’s shoulder so I could gaze into the darkness as we fell. My eyes couldn’t capture anything, but I found keeping my eyes open dried my eyes well enough to stop tears from soaking Percy’s shirt.

Stupid. Stupid, stupid Lydia. How are you going to fucking tell your boyfriend you love him then let yourself plummet into Tartarus?

For one, I really couldn’t hold on. If I’m going to be a surgeon, my hands need to be intact and let me tell you that holding onto the edge of a pit while two whole humans your age weigh you down is not an easy task. I’m not strong enough to handle that— physically or emotionally. Even now, my arm is tingling and feels really numb. Sucks that it’s my sword hand too— I may need to attempt to heal myself to keep irreversible damage from happening.

Another thing. Let me say (and I continue to believe this now) I’ll probably die down here. And as relieved as I am to be with Percy and Annabeth, who I work well with and have shared more adventures with compared to the others on the crew of the Argo II, I’m still utterly alone.

Percy and Annabeth have each other. And these minutes, hours, days— I don’t know— that we’ve been falling, I’m still the third wheel, like I almost always was in alternation with Grover. 

I feel selfish for wishing Lit had jumped with us, that he’d decided to abandon the Argo II to be with us— with me. But I know they need him— he’s the decently level-headed, older and wiser voice that mostly makes good points. And what’s more, he probably still has information from when he was with his father that could prove useful to Nico’s plan. 

But even so I can’t shy away from the fact that I’m probably going to go insane here without Lit. I can’t possibly stand in the way of Percy and Annabeth having their moments. And they won’t choose to comfort me over each other. Plus, I have to stay strong, being the oldest of the three. They’ve always expected me to have my shit together, even when Annabeth is the smartest one. If I don’t have my shit together, it stresses them out, and we can’t afford that.

The wind whistled in my ears, making it hard for me to focus on my surroundings. The air grew hotter and damper, as if we were plummeting into the throat of a massive dragon. My chest still throbbed a bit, but thankfully it was healed enough to compensate for the blood I lost, and I would hopefully be okay soon. 

I felt movement next to me an gazed at Annabeth through my peripheral vision. I saw her press her lips to Percy’s ear, and barely heard her whisper ‘I love you.’

I knew immediately what she was thinking. If she died, she wanted those to be her last words— especially to him. I suppose I thought the same for Lit. 

Damnit. Now we wouldn’t even get to celebrate our six month mark with the archery party we promised each other. Today, July 1st, marked four months of us being officially together. This was bullshit. Hell, today if we’d made it back to the Argo II, Lit and I were gonna.... yeah.

Tartarus is a fucking cockblock.

Part of me wished Jason was here. He could fly, even momentarily, to possibly slow down our fall. Hell, Lit could probably soften the ground or have it catch us. The way he made the ground devour those giants... he’s so much more powerful than he gives himself credit for. He just prefers to swordfight, not use his powers. He’s confessed they’re weird because they mostly involve flowers. To me, his powers are badass.

There I go, thinking about Lit again. Godsdamnit. 

Maybe we could make parachutes out of our shirts. Maybe we could get into a little formation and slow our fall. But that would probably not work— that was too desperate of a thought. 

My eyes suddenly captured the slightest change in lighting. I focused my vision, and noticed the darkness had taken on a grey-red tinge. I looked at the pair beside me, and realized I could see Percy’s hair. The whistling in my ears turned into more of a roar. The air became intolerably hot, permeated with a smell like rotten eggs.

Suddenly, the chute we’d been falling through opened into a vast cavern. Maybe half a mile below us, I could see a bottom. Red clouds hung in the air like vaporized blood. The landscape— at least, what I could see of it— was rocky black plains, punctuated by jagged mountains and fiery chasms. To my left, the ground dropped away in a series of cliffs, like colossal steps leading deeper into the abyss. The stench of sulfur made it hard to concentrate, but I managed to focus on the ground directly below us and saw a ribbon of glittering black liquid. 

“Percy!” I yelled, smacking his back. “Percy— water! Water!”

He lifted his head and looked down. It was hard to know what he was thinking. He looked shell-shocked and terrified, but nodded as if he understood. Annabeth lifted her head, and she fixated her gaze on Percy without so much as a glance at me. I chose to look back down as the river hurtled towards us. At the last second, Percy yelled defiantly. The water erupted in a massive geyser and swallowed us whole.

Okay, so maybe the impact didn’t kill us, but I’m pretty sure the cold nearly did.

Freezing water shocked the air right out of my lungs, and I gave a loud croak. I kicked my legs as hard as I could, finding that my weak arm was surprisingly useful as I fought my way up. My mind jumped to that scene in Titanic, and I think that was what fueled me to actually break the surface, but from there a new battle started— trying to keep afloat long enough to swim to shore, if there was one. I tried to think of something medical to clear my head, since it usually got me focused on living, but it really only started a battle in my brain.

“Inhale,” I thought hard to myself. “Your external intercostal muscles will contract now, your lungs will be raised up and out in order for your diaphragm to drop. Pressure in your thoracic cavity decreases as you fill your lungs, and the volume increases to accommodate the new air.” 

Yeah, that didn’t make me feel better because I just gasped and spit out water as I struggled to keep my face over the surface of the water. 

“Okay, now the flip side,” I thought desperately. “Try exhaling. Your internal intercostal muscles will contract, pushing your lungs down and in as your abdominal muscles contract to push your diaphragm back where it belongs. Pressure increases as you force the air out, and volume essentially decreases.”

That didn’t help either. My limbs turned rigid a few shitty seconds ago, and I finally realized that my grip had vanished from Percy’s shoulder a long time ago. Who knows how far away from them I was now. I groaned as I tried to stay afloat, and closed my eyes in a desperate attempt to concentrate, all to no avail. I felt my body sink, and I let it. 

So much for trying to breathe and stay calm. Way to go, Lydia.

Strange wailing sounds filled my ears as I sank down, my body relaxing and flowing with the strong current. I could hear millions of heartbroken voices, as if the river was made of distilled sadness rather than water (though honestly I doubt the chemical composition of the liquid was actually dihydrogen monoxide. The voices were probably worse than the cold, and that was saying something. They weighed me down and made me numb, and in an instant I knew that not having Lit here was going to weigh me down the most. 

_What’s the point of struggling?_ one said. 

_You’re dead anyway. You’ll never leave this place_ , the other added on. 

_You’re all alone..._ a different one cooed. _They will be together and you’ll be the third wheel_. 

Maybe I could just sink to the bottom and drown... let the river carry me away. That would be much easier. I could just close my eyes—

A kick in the chest from Annabeth or Percy, I’m not sure which, jolted me to reality because I coughed underwater. It made me realize how much I’d let my body sink. But even so, I was struggling to find the motivation to kick up. The water was so murky... kind of comfortable...

My body suddenly shot up, and I realized one of the two had yanked me by the shirt and dragged me up. I coughed and gasped as I broke the surface, grateful for air even though it was all sulfurous. The water swirled around us, and I realized Percy was creating a whirlpool to buoy us up. 

_Give up_ , the voices cooed as I did my best to look wildly around for a shoreline. _You’ll never see him again. Everything is pointless_.

“Land,” Annabeth croaked beside me. “Go sideways.”

I moaned in pain, and Percy did too. He looked dead with exhaustion. Usually water reinvigorated him, but not this water. Controlling it must have taken every last bit of his strength. The whirlpool began to dissipate. Annabeth yanked both of us forward and kicked against the current. I kicked my legs weakly, but let my body slump forward onto hers. 

_Life is despair_ , the voices hissed. _Everything is pointless! Then you die_. 

“Pointless,” Percy murmured. His teeth chattered from the cold. He stopped swimming and began to sink. That seemed like a good idea, so I stopped kicking and let my body rest...

“PERCY! LYDIA!” Annabeth shrieked. “Stop it— stop it! The river is messing with your minds! It’s the Cocytus— the River of Lamentation. It’s made of pure misery.”

“Misery,” I moaned. “Pointless to fight...”

“Fight it!” Annabeth cried. She was kicking and struggling, but if we didn’t help her, she wouldn’t manage. I wanted to help, but I didn’t want to fight anymore. I was done.

Annabeth then threw herself forward and hugged Percy tightly, kissing him. “Tell me about New Rome,” she demanded. “What were your plans for us?”

She let go of me, and without much thought, I let myself sink. Part of me thought that if Annabeth had chosen to comfort Percy over me, I must not really matter. I obviously knew it was a stupid thought, and I was letting the water get to me, but it felt as realistic as a slap in the face. 

“ _Useless, silly Lydia Castellan_ ,” a different voice said. I was too dazed to recognize it, even though it sounded very familiar. “ _A monster, yes? Couldn’t save her brother. You remember how you ripped apart my son? Enceladus? Just thinking of his insides, you broke him... you ripped his heart apart... that is no power of Hermes, the god himself has never broken someone like that. You, your darkness comes from that mother of yours... with those eyes and the power of the Oracle... you’re a monster, a child that was born too powerful... a child that really never should have been born._...”

Too late I started to realize who was talking to me. “Gaea,” I thought, gurgling as I started feeling the need to kick to the surface. I couldn’t give her the satisfaction of watching me die. But no, even so I was too weak, and I cried out in pain as I broke the surface, my body sinking back into the liquid because it was just too damn hard to stay above and breathe.

“ _Too weak to even stay alive_ ,” she cooed, and I felt my entire being relaxing all over again. “ _That stupid son of Demeter really chose you over my faithful servant Khione... pity, really. Maybe I will let her have him... pluck him from that ship and give him to her... make him see the right way, my way, once more... even if it takes a little torture._ ”

“No,” I thought desperately, kicking my legs and flailing my arms to try and get back to the surface. What she was saying was slowly building up my rage, amping up my willpower.

“ _Or maybe this was a trick,_ ” she purred. “ _He is very strong, you’ve seen it. He can lift three grown men without much effort. Perhaps he didn’t want to save you. You remember... Hercules told you that he’d been with other women. You weren’t special to him, Lydia Castellan. He might willingly go to Khione... get from her what you wouldn’t give him_...”

“NO!” I was suddenly so angry that I kicked my legs like a toddler having a tantrum. In my frenzy, I kicked my legs hard and broke the surface. I let myself cough for a minute before growling, and beginning to swim to the shore. “Fuck out of my head, dirtface,” I thought as aggressively as I could, infuriated by the fact she’d one, threaten to torture Lit, and two, suggest he’d dump me for Khione. 

When I didn’t hear her again, I was energized. I suddenly started swimming with all my might, and within seconds I grabbed onto what could only be a solid riverbank. I threw myself onto the shore, coughing and gasping. My vision cleared soon after that, and I shivered and lay on my back, seeing Annabeth and Percy making their way toward me. 

“So,” Annabeth coughed once I managed to sit up. “The beach isn’t sand— it’s jagged black glass chips. The water is misery. The air is acid. Fun, huh?” She let out a small laugh and I coughed.

Thank you for abandoning me, Annabeth Chase. Yes, let us laugh.

Immediately I replaced the thought with something more positive, such as the fact she saved Percy, who saved us from splatting onto the wager like it was concrete, which meant she saved water our best friend and valued asset. 

“This place smells like my ex-stepfather,” Percy grunted, shaking his head to get the water out of his hair. 

Annabeth crawled over and put her still wrapped ankle on my lap. I looked at it before extracting a knife and cutting off the bubble wrap. “Feels better?” I murmured, my own arm tingling as I held the knife.

“Yes,” she said. She then sighed. “My backpack is gone. I lost Daedalus’s laptop and my dagger.”

I felt a pang in my heart. “The... the dagger Luke gave you when you were seven?” It hurt me to think that one of the last shreds of Luke we had left between us was gone. How I was even thinking of my brother at a time like this left me confused. If it weren’t for him, this might not even be happening, because his four year long monster stirrings gave room for Gaea to bring her babies back and torment us. 

But then again... the Luke that raised Annabeth and I gave her that dagger. And if it weren’t for him, we might not have been trained as well as we are now to even make it here. So I guess it’s thanks to Luke we aren’t dead.

Annabeth looked down and nodded. “Yeah, that one.”

I’m too conflicted with my emotions to think straight. So I’ll just stop. 

I blew air hard out of my nostrils and handed her one of my throwing knives. “This will have to do. I’ll stick with my sword.” Thankfully, Slasher was still attached to me. 

I looked over at Percy. He looked pretty bad, to be honest. His dark hair was plastered across his forehead, his T-shirt ripped to shreds. His fingers were scraped raw and he shivered, his lips blue. 

Just looking at him, my arm spasmed. I hissed in pain and grabbed it. It looked normal, but when I touched it, I felt pain shoot through it all over again. “Damn it,” I grumbled. 

“Heal it,” Annabeth said immediately. “You need your arm.”

I hesitated, but then pressed my good hand over my arm, and concentrated. I moaned in pain as my hand glowed slightly, and soon after I felt my pain be soothed. But right after, I slumped back.

“We need to keep moving,” Annabeth said, slowly struggling to her feet. “Can you two stand?”

“I honestly don’t even know,” I muttered. I placed my now healed hand against the ground, and with a lot of effort pushed myself up. Annabeth and I offered Percy a hand and hauled him up. 

As I looked up, I couldn’t see the tunnel we’d fallen through. I couldn’t even see the cavern roof— just blood colored clouds floating in the hazy grey air. It was like staring through a mix of tomato soup and cement. It looked disgusting, and this is coming from a person who can stare at an open body cavity and squeal in excitement at the idea of holding organs. 

The black glass beach seemed to stretch inland about fifty yards, then dropped off the edge of a cliff. From where I stood, I couldn’t see what was below, but the edge flickered with red light as if illuminated by huge fires.

This seemed to make Annabeth think of something, but just when I saw her begin to open her mouth, Percy inhaled sharply. “Look.” 

A hundred feet away, a baby-blue Italian car had crashed headfirst into the sand. Annabeth tensed as she saw it, and I saw her grip Percy’s hand tightly as we stumbled toward the wreckage. One of the car’s tires had come off and was floating in a back-water eddy of the Cocytus. The closer we got, I realized it was a Fiat, and that its windows had shattered, sending brighter glass like frosting across the dark beach. Under the crushed hood lay the tattered, glistening remains of a giant silk cocoon, unmistakably empty. Slash marks in the sand made a trail downriver... as if something heavy, with multiple legs, had scuttled into the darkness. 

“She’s alive,” Annabeth said softly.

“It’s Tartarus,” Percy murmured. “Monster home court. Down here, maybe they can’t be killed.” Then he quickly looked at us, as if realizing he wasn’t helping team morale. “Or maybe she’s badly wounded, and she crawled away to die.”

“We should still be realistic,” I noted. “First off, I think they can be killed, they’re just closer to where they reform, and depending on how ancient and important they are, will either reform faster or slower. She’s still alive.”

“But maybe she crawled away to die,” Percy noted.

“Whatever,” I sighed. “Let’s go with that.”

Annabeth gave me a hopeful look, as if she understood why I insisted being realistic. But slowly, the look faded as she stared down at her hands, which were still bleeding from the glass cuts. “This place is killing us. I mean, it’s literally going to kill us, unless...”

It seemed in that moment she had an epiphany.

“Unless what?” Percy prompted. “You’ve got a brilliant plan, haven’t you?” 

“It’s a plan,” Annabeth murmured. “I don’t know about brilliant. We need to find the River of Fire.”

She began to lead the way, and Percy and I followed like sheep. If she had a plan (ish) then we might as well go for it.

However, once we reached the cliff, I started to grow uncertain. The cliff dropped more than eighty feet. At the bottom stretched a nightmarish version of the Grand Canyon: a river of fire cutting a path through a jagged obsidian crevasse, the glowing red current casting horrible shadows across the cliff faces. Even from the top of the canyon, the heat was intense. The chill of the river Cocytus hasn’t left my bones, and now my face felt right and sunburn, which wasn’t a good addition. Every breath I took was filled with more effort, as if my chest was filled with styrofoam peanuts. I could practically feel my lungs collapsing. The cuts on Annabeth’s hands were bleeding more as I watched her, which was not making me feel good about any of this. She was wincing as she walked, and I thought that I’d healed her ankle, but it didn’t seem so. Maybe being here was making it hurt all over again.

“Uh....” Percy examined the cliff. He pointed to a tiny fissure running diagonally from the edge to the bottom. “We can try that ledge there. Might be able to climb down.” 

I looked between the two, and we all nodded in agreement. We had to at least try. But as I watched us all simultaneously check out hands, I saw the collective blisters beginning to appear from the exposure to the atmosphere. The whole environment was about as healthy as a nuclear blast zone.

The only thing that led me to start climbing down the cliff was the thought that if we didn’t at least give Annabeth’s plan a shot, I’d really never see Lit again. 


	66. We Discover The Tartarus Buffet

The ledge was barely wide enough to allow me a toehold, and that really fucking bothered me. 

Our hands were clawing for any crack in the glassy rock, which does not do wonders for your fingers. I could hear Annabeth making noises of pain above me. She’d ripped off the sleeves of her T-shirt and used the cloth to wrap her bloody palms, which I wish I’d have thought of before I started climbing down, though I quickly realized by the way her hands shook that her fingers were still slippery and weak, so it wouldn’t have done much good. 

A few steps above me, Percy grunted as he reached for another handhold. “So … what is this fire river called?”

“The Phlegethon,” Annabeth said. “You should concentrate on going down.” 

“The Phlegethon?” I inquired as I scooted along the ledge. We’d made it roughly a third of the way down the cliff— still high enough up to die if we fell, which was just grand. I’d never exactly hated heights but I definitely didn’t appreciate them. If Thalia were here, she’d be absolutely terrified. 

“Sounds like a marathon for hawking spitballs,” Percy noticed helpfully. 

“Please don’t make me laugh,” Annabeth said. 

“Just trying to keep things light,” he said. I could tell he was trying really hard to lift the mood and make it a bit more lively, but it was difficult to do that. 

“Thanks,” Annabeth grunted, nearly missing the ledge with her bad foot. I swiped my arm out to catch her, but slowly drew it back when I realized she wasn’t falling. “I’ll have a smile on my face as I plummet to my death.” 

We kept going, one step at a time. My eyes stung with sweat and my arms trembled, especially the arm I had just healed a short while ago. Like Annabeth's ankle, it was starting to throb again, and that terrified me. The entire way down, I was plagued with thoughts of Lit. What was he doing right now? Was he going as crazy as I was? Did he miss me? Of course there were certain answers I expected/hoped for from him especially at this point, but I didn’t want to admit that Gaea’s words kinda did make me a teensy weensy bit paranoid. Sue me for being self-conscious, why don’t you?

I couldn’t even function properly without Lit by my side. I had gotten so used to him always being there, us getting together on weekends to do homework, us having dumb dates and silly conversations. I was so used to him sleeping by my side, his arms around me. I found I hardly had nightmares when he was at my side. I still had some of his clothes tucked away in my drawers at my mother’s house because we’d never brought everything onto the Argo II in case we ever needed to crash there. Now, all the memories were assaulting me. I missed him so much, and thinking about it almost made me slip a few times.

I would actually go insane without him...

To my amazement, we finally made it to the bottom of the cliff. When I reached the ground, I groaned and took a few shaky steps. I heard Annabeth shriek as she stumbled, but Percy caught her, so I didn’t let my gaze linger back at them. My breaths were shallow as I walked forward, and my skin felt very feverish. Red boils had erupted on Percy’s face, so he looked like a smallpox victim, so wh. Her own vision was blurry. My vision was blurry, I felt boils on my face, my throat felt blistered, and my stomach was clenched tighter than a fist. 

“Come on,” I called back weakly. “River… Annabeth’s plan… river…” Panic was slowly starting to build up in me as I staggered over slick glass ledges, around massive boulders, avoiding stalagmites that would’ve impaled me with any slip of the foot. My tattered clothes steamed from the heat of the river, but I kept going until I hit the banks of the Phlegethon. 

Behind me, I heard Annabeth and Percy crumple to their knees. They moved toward me, and I stared blankly at the river, wanting to just die already. This was unbearable.

“We have to drink,” Annabeth said. Percy swayed, his eyes half-closed, and he slumped onto me. It took him three counts to respond. “Uh… drink fire?” 

“The Phlegethon flows from Hades’s realm down into Tartarus.” I could easily tell that Annabeth could barely talk. It sounded like her throat was closing up from the heat and the acidic air, and a quick check in with myself led me to realize the same was happening to me. “The river is used to punish the wicked. But also… some legends call it the River of Healing.” 

“Some legends?” I coughed. “Well, shit, we better hope those some are the accurate ones.” I swallowed and almost blacked out from the pain it caused.

“The Phlegethon keeps the wicked in one piece so that they can endure the torments of the Fields of Punishment. I think … it might be the Underworld equivalent of ambrosia and nectar,” Annabeth finished. Percy winced as cinders sprayed from the river, curling around his face, and he looked at me as if he already knew we were thinking the same thing. “But it’s fire. How can we –” 

“Like this.” Annabeth thrust her hands into the river.

There was a beat of silence as Percy and I snapped our heads to look at each other and make a face.

“What the fuck did she just do?” I squeaked before gagging on my own saliva. 

“She really just went for it,” Percy rasped, the both of us staring very worriedly at Annabeth. She cupped the fiery liquid in her palms and raised it to her mouth. The instant she swallowed it, I saw her face change completely. She suddenly collapsed and started gagging and retching, her whole body shaking violently. I shoved Percy away to check if she was having a seizure or something, and barely managed to grab her before she rolled into the river. But just as I was getting her on her side, she stopped making noise, and her eyes snapped open. 

“Annabeth!” Percy yelled. He used what must have been the last bit of his strength to throw himself forward and cradle her in his blistered hands.

Annabeth coughed. “It worked,” she croaked. “Percy, Lydia, you’ve got to drink….”

Percy and I looked at each other, but it didn’t last long because Percy’s eyes rolled back and he slumped to the floor. Annabeth sat up immediately. “Lydia, you drink, I’ll give it to him.”

I nodded wearily and before my confidence could fade, let my hands plunge into the river. On first contact, the fire wasn’t painful. It felt cold, which probably meant it was so hot it was overloading my nerves. I hissed a bit, and my immediate thought was great, the neurosurgeon Lydia Castellan fries her nerves in a river of fire, what a headline.

Before I could change my mind, I practically dunked my face in because my arm wasn’t moving anymore. Probably the biggest mistake of my life, because my sinus cavity practically overloaded with liquid flame as I slurped straight from the river. My mouth felt like it was being deep-fried, my eyes shed boiling tears, and every pore on my face seemed to have popped.

What a stupid way to die. Dunking my face into a stupid flaming river. I have sincerely reached a new low here in Tartarus, and I feel like it’s about to get worse.

But then suddenly the discomfort was gone, and I shot out of the river and flopped onto my back, coughing. I felt terribly weak and a little nauseous, but I could breathe much easier now.

To my right, I could see Annabeth had revived Percy.

“Ugh,” he said. “Spicy, yet disgusting.”

“Emphasis on the disgusting,” I agreed as I sat up. “Tastes like I swallowed a jar of liquid formaldehyde mixed with gasoline.” Annabeth laughed weakly. “Yeah. That pretty much sums it up.”

Percy looked at her like she was a goddess. “You saved us.” 

“For now,” she said. “The problem is we’re still in Tartarus.”

Percy blinked. He looked around as if just coming to terms with where we were, which was something I definitely needed to add to the list of Seaweed Brain moments. “Holy Hera. I never thought … well, I’m not sure what I thought. Maybe that Tartarus was empty space, a pit with no bottom. But this is a real place.”

“And this is only a miniscule fraction of it,” I mused. “This could be just the main entrance of the abyss or something.” 

“The welcome mat,” Percy muttered. We all gazed up at the blood-coloured clouds swirling in the grey haze. No way would we have the strength to climb back up that cliff, even if we wanted to. Now there were only two choices: downriver or upriver, skirting the banks of the Phlegethon. 

“We’ll find a way out,” Percy said optimistically. “The Doors of Death.”

Annabeth shuddered, and looked at me. She must have been remembering what Percy had said just before we fell into Tartarus. He’d made Nico promise to lead the Argo II to Epirus, to the mortal side of the Doors of Death. We’ll see you there, Percy had said. That idea seemed even crazier than drinking fire. How could the three of us wander through Tartarus and find the Doors of Death? We’d barely been able to stumble a hundred yards in this poisonous place without dying. 

“We have to,” Percy said. “Not just for us. For everybody we love. The Doors have to be closed on both sides, or the monsters will just keep coming through. Gaea’s forces will overrun the world.” He looked at me, and I felt very nervous because he suddenly had a saddened expression. “I will do everything in my power for you to see Lit again. He’s a good guy. I want you both to be happy. So we will complete this journey, okay?”

I felt tears brimming in my eyes, and nodded quickly so I could dry my eyes on my shirt. He knew exactly how much Lit had come to mean to me. He knew how much I needed him. And I think Percy could tell how hopeless I was in the short (ish) time we’d been down here. “I promise,” Percy added, putting his hans on my shoulder.

“Yeah,” Annabeth agreed with Percy, smiling a bit. “We’ll complete it.”

It was funny how she could agree when we all knew how difficult this would be. I knew they were trying to bring my spirits up, but everything was too sucky for me to feel hopeful. One, we had no way of locating the Doors. We didn’t know how much time it would take, or if time even flowed at the same speed in Tartarus. How could we possibly synchronize a meeting with our crew? And Nico had mentioned a legion of Gaea’s strongest monsters guarding the Doors on the Tartarus side. Annabeth, Percy, and I couldn’t exactly launch a frontal assault. I decided not to mention any of this, and I’m guessing Annabeth decided that too. We knew the odds were bad. Besides, after swimming in the River Cocytus, I had heard enough whining and moaning to last a lifetime. 

“Well.” Annabeth took a deep breath. “If we stay close to the river, we’ll have a way to heal ourselves. If we go downstream—“

I felt a tingle in my spine, and locked on a flash of movement barely distinguishable on my peripheral vision. In an instant, I whirled around with Slasher out to cut into a massive dark shape hurtled down at Annabeth— a snarling, monstrous blob with spindly barbed legs and glinting eyes. Annabeth was frozen in terror, as my blade swept over her head in a glowing bronze arc and sliced the creature entirely through. A horrible wail echoed through the canyon. 

Annabeth stood there, stunned, as yellow dust— the remains of what must have been Arachne— rained around like tree pollen. 

“You okay?” I panted, surprised I’d even been able to move so fast. The Phlegethon really had re-energized me.

“Y-Yeah,” Annabeth whispered. “If you hadn’t reacted so fast—“

“I didn’t even sense something was there until you’d already begun to cut through her,” Percy mumbled. He put his arm around Annabeth, who was staring at me with big eyes. “She... she would’ve killed me.”

“Yeah, that’s what monsters do,” I said nervously, still creeped out by the fact Arachne had come onto us so fast. I had reacted faster than Percy and Annabeth, but it was barely fast enough. The fact she’d been able to sneak up so quickly to the point I almost didn’t catch it was terrifying. 

Percy kicked the dust on the rocks, his expression grim and dissatisfied. “She died too easily, considering how much torture she put you through. She deserved worse.” He patted my shoulder in respect.

“He’s right,” I said, shaking my head. “She should’ve suffered when she died. She would have easily killed us...”

Annabeth was suddenly staring at us a bit fearfully. Somehow, I realized the hard edge in Percy and I’s voices must be what’d unsettled her— the fact we’d both been so angry at what Arachne had done to her that we wanted worse. Somehow, it almost scared me. I had been downright furious before but this new, vengeful me, seemed a product of Tartarus, and that scared me. 

Percy cleared his throat. “Now, you were saying… downstream?” Annabeth nodded, still in a daze. The yellow dust dissipated on the rocky shore, turning to steam. At least now we knew that monsters could be killed in Tartarus, right?

“Yeah, downstream,” Annabeth managed. “If the river comes from the upper levels of the Underworld, it should flow deeper into Tartarus—“

“So it leads into more dangerous territory,” Percy finished. “Which is probably where the Doors are. Lucky us.”

“We love being blessed with seemingly futile missions,” I added, which made Percy crack a slight smirk. 

We’d only traveled a few hundred yards when I heard voices, and went rigid as I realized Annabeth has heard it too.

It seemed she and I were both struggling to formulate a plan. Since she was a daughter of Athena, plans were supposed to be her speciality, and I guess I had always been expected to have a plan too because of my extensive medical knowledge. The fiery water of the Phlegethon may have healed us and given us strength, but it seemed neither of us could think, and I soon figured it out it probably had a lot to do with the fact we were starving. The river wasn’t about making you feel good, I guessed, it just kept you going so you could experience more excruciating pain. Fucking excellent.

That’s when I heard them— female voices having some sort of argument— and I was instantly alert. 

“Percy, Lydia, down!” Annabeth whispered. She pulled us behind the nearest boulder, wedging herself so close against the riverbank that her shoes almost touched the river’s fire, and my eyes widened. 

On the other side, on the narrow path between the river and the cliffs, voices snarled, getting louder as they approached from upstream. I tried to steady my breathing. The voices sounded vaguely human, but that meant nothing. Perhaps they were human-like monsters and had already spotted us, or they had smelled us. I highly doubted that hiding behind a boulder would do any good when the monsters caught their scent. 

Still, as the monsters got nearer, their voices didn’t change in tone. Their uneven footsteps didn’t get any faster, but did sound vaguely familiar.

“Soon?” one of them asked in a raspy voice, as if she’d been gargling in the Phlegethon. 

“Oh my gods!” said another voice. This one sounded much younger and much more human, like a teenaged mortal girl getting exasperated with her friends at the mall. She sounded even more familiar than the footsteps. “You guys are totally annoying! I told you, it’s like three days from here.”

Percy suddenly gripped my wrist, and tensed. That’s when I realized who it was.

Kelli. My brother’s seemingly to-be-girlfriend that was an empousa cheerleader. The one that’s smacked me out of two dreams with a direct attack. 

There was a chorus of growling and grumbling. The creatures— maybe half a dozen, I guessed— had paused just on the other side of the boulder, but still they gave no indication that they’d caught our scent. I wondered if demigods didn’t smell the same in Tartarus, or if the other scents here were so powerful they masked a demigod’s aura. I hoped it was a mixture of both.

“I wonder,” said a third voice, gravelly and ancient like the first, “if perhaps you do not know the way, young one.”

“Oh, shut your fang hole, Serephone,” Kelli growled. “When’s the last time you escaped to the mortal world? I was there a couple of years ago. I know the way! Besides, I understand what we’re facing up there. You don’t have a clue!”

“The Earth Mother did not make you boss!” shrieked a fourth voice. More hissing, scuffling and feral moans— like giant alley cats fighting. At last the one called Serephone yelled, “Enough!” 

The scuffling died down. “We will follow for now,” Serephone said. “But if you do not lead us well, if we find you have lied about the summons of Gaea—“

“I don’t lie!” Kelli snapped. “Believe me, I’ve got good reason to get into this battle. I have some enemies to devour, and you’ll feast on the blood of heroes. Just leave two special morsels for me— the ones named Percy Jackson and Lydia Castellan.”

I saw Annabeth twitch angrily, as if she wanted to jump over the boulder and slash the monsters to dust with the knife I’d given her.

“Believe me,” Kelli continued. “Gaea has called us, and we’re going to have so much fun. Before this war is over, mortals and demigods will tremble at the sound of my name— Kelli!”

I glanced at Percy with a grim expression. I doubted many would be afraid of the name ‘Kelli,’ but we knew that she wasn’t just a mall girl. An empousa. A vampire. 

Percy nodded worriedly to show he remembered Kelli. Two years ago she had attacked us in Daedalus’s workshop, and I had stabbed her in the back and sent her... here. To Tartarus. 

The creatures shuffled off, their voices getting fainter. Annabeth crept to the edge of the boulder and risked a glimpse, and I followed suit.

Sure enough, five women staggered along on mismatched legs— mechanical bronze on the left, shaggy and cloven-hooved on the right. Their hair was made of fire, their skin as white as bone. Most of them wore tattered Ancient Greek dresses, except for the one in the lead, Kelli, who wore a burnt and torn blouse with a short pleated skirt... her cheerleader’s outfit. 

I gritted my teeth. I had faced a lot of bad monsters over the years, but I hated empousai more than most. In addition to their nasty claws and fangs, they had a powerful ability to manipulate the Mist. They could change shape and charmspeak, tricking mortals into letting down their guard. Men were especially susceptible. The empousa’s favourite tactic was to make a guy fall in love with her, then drink his blood and devour his flesh. I assumed that might have been what Kelli intended to do with Luke, though I remember she was actually really infatuated with him. Gross.

I despised Kelli. She had essentially manipulated Luke, urging him to commit darker and darker deeds in the name of Kronos. She’d kept me away in dreams so I wouldn’t corrupt him or something.

Percy rose slowly. “They’re heading for the Doors of Death,” he murmured. “You know what that means?”

I didn’t want to think about it, but sadly this squad of flesh-eating horror-show women might be the closest thing to good luck we were going to get in Tartarus. 

“Yeah,” I said softly. “It means we need to follow them.”

________________  
 **A/N: A bit of a shorter chapter. Thoughts? Comments are always appreciated :)**


	67. I Reminisce On Old Pain

See, maybe if we didn’t have to follow Kelli and her comrades from a distance, I might have tried to be more optimistic.

But no, it probably wouldn’t have happened anyway. We followed the River Phlegethon, stumbling over the glassy black terrain, jumping crevices and hiding behind rocks whenever the vampire girls slowed in front of us. It was tricky to stay far enough back to avoid getting spotted but also close enough to keep Kelli in view through the dark hazy air. 

The heat from the river baked my skin, and I really hated the sensation. Every breath was like inhaling sulphur-scented fiberglass, and it might have made for a fun meme if it didn’t entail so much suffering.

Whenever we needed a drink, the best we could afford to do was sip some refreshing liquid fire.

Sometimes I regret not drinking enough water.

At least, we all seem to be feeling better. My arm isn’t tingling at all. Annabeth isn’t limping. The cuts we all shared are gone. 

Everyone kinda looked better too. Annabeth had tied her blonde hair back with a strip of denim torn from her jeans, and in the fiery light of the river her grey eyes flickered. Despite being beat-up, sooty and dressed like a homeless person, she looked almost normal again, which was comforting. Percy was similar— his hair was disheveled but that was normal. His clothes were stained far more than Annabeth’s and looked like he’d been through a hurricane of broken glass. But since he didn’t have any cuts on his face, the dirt just made me think (actually, I forced myself to think this to stay motivated) that we’d all just gone and played in the dirt. Everything was okay.

I missed Lit. I’ve probably said that so much you’re probably really annoyed by me but I miss him. I can tell by the way Percy kept looking at Annabeth that he was just grateful they were together. At least they weren’t separated like they’d been when Annabeth was kidnapped and he disappeared. They were going through this together, and on the sadder chance they died, they’d die together.

I couldn’t forget the look of terror, and worry that Lit gave us when I finally let go of him. Part of me still wishes that he jumped with us, but they need him more up there. As much as I miss him, I know he will benefit them more on their quest to Epirus. I have to stay optimistic that I will see him again.

Though honestly, it’s getting all up in my head that I may not. 

I hated the fact that time was impossible to judge down here. I’m starting to feel like fucking Quentin Compson from William Faulkner’s _The Sound and the Fury_. His battle with time. Desperation at not being able to control it. Of course that’s not mentioning the fact that ‘Caddy’ is the most used word in the book and honestly it hardly sense, but it’s still something I can relate to. Though probably at this point I’m feeling as emotionless and existentialist as Meursault from Albert Camus’s _The Stranger_. Now that book— highly recommended. 

We trudged along regardless, following the river as it cut through the harsh landscape. Fortunately the empousai weren’t exactly speed walkers. They shuffled on their mismatched bronze and donkey legs, hissing and fighting with each other, apparently in no hurry to reach the Doors of Death. We could hear them pretty well too which was both nice and weird. Once, the demons sped up in excitement and swarmed something that looked like a beached carcass on the riverbank. I couldn’t exactly tell what it was— a fallen monster? An animal of some kind? The empousai attacked it with relish either way. 

When the demons moved on, Percy, Annabeth, and I reached the spot and found nothing left except a few splintered bones and glistening stains drying in the heat of the river. Kind of reminded me of an episode of Criminal Minds except of course, it wasn’t human. I had no doubt the empousai would devour us with the same gusto if they came across us— especially our particular trio. 

“Come on,” Percy murmured. He led Annabeth gently away from the scene. I really admired how calm and collected he was being. “We don’t want to lose them.”

As we walked, I thought about the first time we’d heard about the empousa Kelli, when she’d attacked Percy at Goode High School’s freshman orientation. Apparently, he and Rachel had gotten trapped in the band hall with her. Not a fun way to get introduced to a new school.

As I started thinking back to the war against Kronos, I felt a deep pang in my heart. Losing Luke, and Ethan, and Silena, and even Michael Yew, as well as countless others. I never expected my life would be less miserable. I had recovered well thanks to Lit, but to be honest I never expected things would get better.

I also never expected things would be this bad. 

After a few more miles, the empousai disappeared over a ridge. When we caught up, they found ourselves at the edge of another massive cliff, which gave me a really bad sense of deja vu. The River Phlegethon spilled over the side in jagged tiers of fiery waterfalls. The demon ladies were picking their way down the cliff, jumping from ledge to ledge like mountain goats, which gave me a really weird image of Grover.

Gods, I missed him.

“Okay, so we have a problem,” I mumbled, crossing my arms, trying to ignore the feeling of my heart creeping into my throat. Even if Percy, Annabeth, and I reached the bottom of the cliff alive, we didn’t have much to look forward to. The landscape below us was a bleak ash-grey plain bristling with black trees, like insect hair. The ground was pocked with blisters. Every once in a while, a bubble would swell and burst, disgorging a monster like a larva from an egg. 

Suddenly I wasn’t hungry any more, and usually gross things don’t disturb me since I’m used to looking at open body cavities. 

All the newly formed monsters were crawling and hobbling in the same direction— towards a bank of black fog that swallowed the horizon like a storm front. The Phlegethon flowed in the same direction until about halfway across the plain, where it met another river of black water— maybe the Cocytus? The two floods combined in a steaming, boiling cataract and flowed on as one towards the black fog. The longer I looked into that storm of darkness, the less I wanted to go there. It could be hiding anything— an ocean, a bottomless pit, an army of monsters. But if the Doors of Death were in that direction it was basically our only chance to get home. 

Percy peered over the edge of the cliff, and groaned. “Wish we could fly,” he muttered. 

Annabeth rubbed her arms. “Remember Luke’s winged shoes? I wonder if they’re still down here somewhere.”

I shook my head quickly. “No, those things were too cursed. Mh suspicion is they don’t just take you to Tartarus the realm. Maybe to Tartarus himself. Though you’d die before you got to him so it’d be painful either way. I wish we had Jason.” 

“Or a hang glider,” Percy offered.

“Not a good idea.” Annabeth pointed up, and I groaned. Above us, dark winged shapes spiralled in and out of the blood-red clouds. 

“Furies?” Percy wondered. 

“Or some other kind of demon,” Annabeth said. “Tartarus has thousands.”

“Including the kind that eats hang gliders,” Percy guessed. 

“And humans attached to them,” I offered ‘helpfully.’ I’m too much of a pessimist here.

“Okay, so we climb,” Percy deduced. He looked down, and I knew what he was thinking. We couldn’t see the empousai below us any more. 

“Lydia, can you do your x-ray thing?” Annabeth asked hopefully. 

I nodded, and closed my eyes to concentrate on seeing the structure of the cliff. I noticed there was still a group of figures ahead, just out of eyesight.

“They’re there, we just need to continue,” I confirmed. It was clear where we needed to go anyway. Like all the maggot monsters crawling over the plains of Tartarus, we had to head towards the dark horizon. 

I was just brimming with enthusiasm for that.

As we started down the cliff, I tried not to be pessimistic anymore, but that was basically impossible because of the challenge at hand.

I contemplated maybe teleporting, but to be honest I still didn’t feel strong enough. And I’d have to wait for the others alone, and that wasn’t a wise idea. Besides, what if my powers were not as easy to use so often in Tartarus? I might as well save my strength.

Thus, I concentrated on keeping my footing, avoiding rockslides that would alert the empousai to our presence and of course making sure Percy and Annabeth didn’t plummet to their deaths (I volunteered to go first, as always).

About halfway down the precipice, Annabeth said from above, “Stop, okay? Just a quick break.” 

My gaze shot up and I almost cursed loudly. Her legs were wobbling badly, and I cursed myself for not suggesting a rest or something before we started climbing.

We sat together on a ledge next to a roaring fiery waterfall. Percy put his arm around Annabeth, and she leaned against him, shaking from exhaustion. I felt strangely lonely (actually not strangely, because it makes total sense why I feel like that). I simply sat a bit aways, cradling one of my last remaining throwing knives in my hand. Hard to think the knife belt that’d been a gift from my father had run out over the years, and I had only five left to use, which may not be enough.

I felt like shit, too. Percy and Annabeth weren’t much better. My stomach felt like it had shrunk to the size of a gumdrop, and from the looks of it, the others felt that too.

“Hey,” Percy said weakly. “I’m starving.”

“We know,” I sighed, looking out across Tartarus.

“Let me set up a morbid but kind of funny joke, Lydia,” Percy scolded.

“Go ahead then, Jackson.”

He shuffled a bit, looking excited to maybe get some humor in and lift Annabeth’s spirits. “I’m starving. If we come across any more monster carcasses, I’m afraid I might pull an empousa and try to devour it.”

Annabeth snorted, and I stared at him in disappointment. “Really, is that the best you can do?”

“It was kind of funny,” Percy insisted.

“That’s not comforting.”

Percy just let out an airy chuckle and leaned against Annabeth. She seemed to have enjoyed his comment, which wad okay to me. 

“Things could be worse,” Annabeth ventured, looking up at me. 

“Yeah?” I didn’t really see how, but I tried to sound upbeat. 

“Yes,” Annabeth said. “I mean, is this as bad as uh, getting stabbed? We’ve been stabbed before, Lydia. Me with a poison knife—“

“—and me with Kronos’s scythe and Kampê’s scimitar, oh, and new one for the books, with Otis’s spear,” I added smoothly. “Oh yes, and let’s not forget Narcissus’s arrow, though that’s a tad different than a stab. Absolutely wonderful.”

“That turned sad very quickly,” Percy noted. “You’ve been stabbed and sliced... really fucking often.”

“Comes with being a child of Hermes,” I chirped. “I bring trouble to myself like no other.”

“That’s how it’s not the worst,” Annabeth pointed out. “I mean, you survived all that.”

“Yeah, well, I guess so,” I chuckled dryly.

Then Annabeth seemed to get more serious.

“We could’ve fallen into the River Lethe,” she said. “Lost all our memories.”

My skin crawled just thinking about it. Poor Percy had had enough trouble with amnesia for one lifetime. Only last month, Hera had erased his memories to put him among the Roman demigods. Poor thing had just stumbled into Camp Jupiter with no idea who he was or where he came from. 

“Um, Lydia, there’s an adventure I never told you about,” Percy said suddenly, looking sideways at Annabeth.

“What do you mean?” I asked uncertainly.

Percy bit his lip. “Well... you know how after Castor died... you and Pollux went back to school earlier and you told us you might not contact us as often because you wanted to help him? And you went with him to his mom’s for Christmas?”

“Yes,” I said slowly.

“Well Persephone gave Nico, Thalia, and I this job. We needed to get this weapon that... Ethan stole.”

I blinked. “So... you never told me about this?”

“No because I knew you didn’t want to talk a lot about Ethan those days,” Percy insisted. 

“I told them not to tell you,” Annabeth said immediately. “I told them. You were dealing with Pollux and I didn’t think it was the right thing.”

“Wait— what happened, then?” I murmured, furrowing my eyebrows.

“Well... Ethan released this titan— Iapetus— from Tartarus. He fought us. I grabbed him and we both fell in the River Lethe. I didn’t forget anything but he did. And I um... well I convinced him his name was ‘Bob’ and that we were good friends.”

“How the hell didn’t your memories get wiped?” I cried.

“Thanks to my dad,” he said. “I didn’t actually touch the river. I stayed completely dry. Long story short— he forgot everything.”

“Wait,” I said again. “But what— what about Ethan?”

Percy grimaced. “He was helping him, and all that. No remorse.”

I gritted my teeth. “You never thought maybe I’d want to know?”

This changed absolutely everything. If I had known Ethan had been a little rat and done that, I probably never would have forgiven him fully, even after he saved me. He might be alive because I might not wouldn’t have begged him to turn against Kronos. That’s my estimate of course, but what if everything had been different?

“Lydia, I’m sorry, I knew you would trust Ethan even less,” Annabeth pleaded as I turned away from them. “You were our only hope in everything. You were the one who stopped Luke from killing us. You had Ethan turn on him and give us an advantage. If you knew that, would you have been able to do the same?”

It kind of hurt that she insinuated that they kept a secret from me because they had use for me, but I just shook my head. 

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” I mumbled. “Break is over, keep moving.” 

The rest of the cliff looked impossible to descend— nothing more than a crosshatching of tiny ledges— but we kept climbing down. I tried to focus on that to keep my mind off what Percy told me.

Unluckily, my body went on autopilot, and it allowed me to feel all the pain I’d been ignoring. My fingers cramped. I felt blisters popping up on my ankles. I got shaky from hunger, and it irritated me more. I started to wonder if we would die of starvation, or if the firewater would actually keep us going. I remembered the punishment of Tantalus— I sincerely hated the guy— who’d been permanently stuck in a pool of water under a fruit tree but couldn’t reach either food or drink. I hadn’t thought about that bastard in years. That stupid guy had been paroled briefly to serve as director at Camp Half-Blood. Probably he was back in the Fields of Punishment. Actually, more like definitely. 

I had never felt sorry for the jerk before, but now I was starting to kind of sympathize. I could imagine what it would be like, getting hungrier and hungrier for eternity but never being able to eat. 

Keep climbing, I told myself. 

_Tortas_ , my stomach replied. _You love those_.

Shut up, I thought. 

_With salsa_ , my stomach complained. 

A billion years later, with a dozen new blisters on my feet, and a whole new pit of anger roaring in my stomach from all the discomfort, I finally reached the bottom. 

Percy hopped after me, and then helped Annabeth down. They collapsed on the ground, though I remained shakily on my feet. 

Ahead of us stretched miles of wasteland, bubbling with monstrous larvae and big insect-hair trees. To our right, the Phlegethon split into branches that etched the plain, widening into a delta of smoke and fire. To the north, along the main route of the river, the ground was riddled with cave entrances. Here and there, spires of rock jutted up like exclamation points. 

When I allowed myself to sit for a bit, I realized that the soil felt alarmingly warm and smooth under my hand. I tried to grab a handful, then realized that, under a thin layer of dirt and debris, the ground was a single vast membrane… like skin. 

“That’s disgusting,” Percy said, clearly having just come to the same realization. 

“That’s fascinating,” I mumbled, feeling more around it.

“Only you would say that,” Annabeth noted.

I didn’t respond, and kept running my fingers over it for a bit, finding a strange comfort in something that felt more familiar. I wish I had a scalpel.

I finally forced myself to look up, realizing there was more body-like aspects of the entire realm— things I hadn’t noticed before. 

The ridges above us now looked less like steps and more like rows of massive teeth. The spires of rock looked like broken ribs. And if the ground was skin… even more fascinating, though also a thousand times scarier now.

Behind me, Annabeth stood, wiping soot from her face. She gazed towards the darkness on the horizon. “We’re going to be completely exposed, crossing this plain,” she murmured.

She was right, but we didn’t get to think about that for too long. About a hundred yards ahead of us, a blister suddenly burst on the ground. A monster clawed its way out— a glistening telkhine with slick fur, a seal-like body and stunted human limbs. It managed to crawl a few yards before something shot out of the nearest cave, so fast that I could only register a dark green reptilian head. The monster snatched the squealing telkhine in its jaws and dragged it into the darkness. 

Reborn in Tartarus for two seconds, only to be eaten. No time for a baby shower. I wondered if perhaps that same telkhine would pop up in some other place in Tartarus, and how long it would take to re-form. 

“Oh, yeah. This’ll be fun,” Percy said at last in response to Annabeth’s comment.

Annabeth helped him to his feet. I took one last look at the cliffs, but there was no going back.

We started walking, trying to avoid the cave entrances, sticking close to the bank of the river. I wasn’t as irritated anymore, but I still couldn’t believe they’d kept a whole encounter with Ethan a secret from me. It wasn’t fair. Of course, since Lit and I’s kind-of fight, I hadn’t really thought much of Ethan to begin with— I was starting to move on. This just felt like it was reopening a wound I had been trying to close for a long time, and it felt like Percy and Annabeth had just poured salt on it. They always told me everything, and now they hadn’t bothered to let me know this?

We were just skirting one of the spires when a glint of movement caught my eye.

I whirled around and saw nothing, but that just put Percy and Annabeth on edge.

“What is it?” Percy asked immediately.

“Something,” I murmured as I extracted my sword. “I—“ then I cursed. “The fucking empousai!”

As if on my cue, the empousai emerged from the rocks all around us— five of them forming a ring. There was no way we could take them on— they had already had us trapped since we got down from the cliff.

A perfect trap. 

Kelli limped forward on her mismatched legs, smirking at me. Her fiery hair burned across her shoulders like a miniature Phlegethon waterfall. Her tattered cheerleader outfit was splattered with rusty-brown stains, and I was pretty sure they weren’t ketchup. 

She fixed me with her glowing red eyes and bared her fangs. “Baby Lydia Castellan!” she cooed. “How awesome! I don’t even have to return to the mortal world to destroy you!”

_______________  
 **A/N: Thoughts?**


	68. We Meet THE ‘Bob’

Last time, Kelli would have ripped Percy and Annabeth to shreds if I hadn’t fallen on her from above and snapped her back and stabbed her. 

This time, she had a whole empousa posse with her, and she could probably still move as fast as she had before.

“And your friends Annabeth and Percy are with you!” Kelli hissed with laughter. “Oh, yeah, I totally remember them.” 

I held Slasher as firm in the air as I could, looking at Percy and Annabeth through my peripheral vision to see if anyone had a plan.

It seemed Percy figured one out first. 

“So...” he started, “I guess you’re wondering what we’re doing in Tartarus.”

Kelli snickered. “Not really. I just want to kill you.”

“Too bad,” Annabeth said before the topic could change. “Because you have no idea what’s going on in the mortal world.”

The other empousai circled, watching Kelli for a cue to attack, but the ex-cheerleader only snarled, crouching out of reach of my sword. “We know enough,” Kelli said. “Gaea has spoken.”

“You’re heading towards a major defeat,” I said as firmly as I could muster. “We know that. Our presence here is that sacrifice.”

Annabeth then pointed accusingly at Kelli, looking at me as if asking for permission to add on. “This one claims she’s leading you to a victory. She’s lying. Last time, she failed.” 

“That’s right,” I continued, realizing where she was taking this. “When Kelli was in the mortal world last time, she was in charge of keeping my brother— Luke Castellan— faithful to Kronos. In the end, Luke rejected him. He gave his life to expel Kronos. The Titans lost because Kelli _failed_. Now Kelli wants to lead you to another disaster. She wasn’t good enough to keep my fairly weak and easily manipulated brother in her clutches.”

It was a long shot, but the empousai seemed to believe it because they didn’t know Luke at all. They muttered and shifted uneasily. 

“Enough!” Kelli’s fingernails grew into long black talons. She glared at me as if imagining me sliced into small pieces, and served on a silver platter. I wasn’t too far off from guessing she and Luke had a ‘thing.’

“The girl lies,” Kelli growled. “So the Titans lost. Fine! That was part of the plan to wake Gaea! Now the Earth Mother and her giants will destroy the mortal world, and we will totally feast on demigods!” The other vampires gnashed their teeth in a frenzy of excitement. 

“The demigods have united!” Annabeth yelled. “You’d better think twice before you attack us. Romans and Greeks will fight you together. You don’t stand a chance!”

The empousai backed up nervously, hissing, ‘Romani.’ I guessed they’d had experience with them before. 

“Yeah, you bet Romani.” Percy bared his forearm and showed them the brand he’d gotten at Camp Jupiter— the SPQR mark, with the trident of Neptune. “You mix Greek and Roman, and you know what you get? You get BAM!” He stomped his foot, and the empousai scrambled back. One fell off the boulder where she’d been perched. It made me hopeful, but they recovered quickly and closed in again. 

“Bold talk,” Kelli said, “for three demigods lost in Tartarus. Lower your sword, Lydia Castellan, and I’ll kill you quickly. Believe me, there are worse ways to die down here.”

“Wait!” Annabeth tried again. “Aren’t empousai the servants of Hecate?” 

Kelli curled her lip. “So?”

“So Hecate is on our side now,” Annabeth said. “She has a cabin at Camp Half-Blood.”

“Oh yes, certainly!” I managed helpfully. “Some of her demigod children are our friends. Hecate has since the war made peace with the Olympians, and she and her children have received the recognition they hadn’t had before.”

“So... If you fight us,” Annabeth continued, narrowing her eyes. “She will most definitely be angry.”

I wanted to hug Annabeth, because it was brilliant pitching that idea, and adding that last bit.

One of the other empousai growled. “Is this true, Kelli? Has our mistress made peace with Olympus?”

“Shut up, Serephone!” Kelli screeched. “Gods, you’re annoying!”

“I will not cross the Dark Lady,” the empousa hissed.

Annabeth took the opening gracefully. “You’d all be better following Serephone. She’s clearly older and wiser.”

“Yes!” Serephone shrieked. “Follow me!” 

Kelli struck so fast, that for half a second, the two demons were a blur of slashing claws and fangs. Then it was just suddenly over. Kelli stood triumphant over a pile of dust. From her claws hung the tattered remains of Serephone’s dress. 

“Any more issues?” Kelli snapped at her sisters. “Hecate is the goddess of the Mist! Her ways are mysterious. Who knows which side she truly favours? She is also the goddess of the crossroads, and she expects us to make our own choices. I choose the path that will bring us the most demigod blood! I choose Gaea!”

Her friends hissed in approval. Annabeth glanced at Percy and I, and I realized she was out of ideas.

“For two years I churned in the void,” Kelli sneered. “Do you know how completely annoying it is to be vaporized, Lydia Castellan? Slowly re-forming, fully conscious, in searing pain for months and years as your body regrows, then finally breaking the crust of this hellish place and clawing your way back to daylight? All because some little girl stabbed you in the back?” 

“Hmm, maybe I can’t relate, but I imagine it must have been the worst pain ever, huh?” I countered. The best I could hope for was that angering her more would make her more disorganized. Usually my mind fixated on Grey’s Anatomy, but right now, it was full on Criminal Minds. She of course could also end up more violent and I would be unable to keep up, but I tried to think the former would happen and I’d have the upper hand. 

Kelli’s baleful eyes held onto my face, and her lip twitched. “I wonder what happens if a demigod is killed in Tartarus. I doubt it’s ever happened before. Let’s find out.”

She sprang forward, and I immediately leapt back to draw her away from Percy and Annabeth. Annabeth had whipped out the knife I gave her, and Percy had slashed out Riptide. 

What I had predicted to happen was exactly what did. Kelli was so furious that she completely missed when lunging at me with her claws, allowing me to strike and cut her arm. Surprisingly, I found I was able to keep up well despite how weak I felt. She snarled as I smacked my blade against her nose and kicked her back, then leapt over to pin her down.

“NO!” She screeched, thrashing and trying to cut at me with her claws.

“See, last time I stabbed you from the back,” I said with malice, suddenly feeling a murderous urge I’d only felt a few times before. I could remember every dream she interrupted, every time she seemed to be wanting my brother’s affection. It disgusted me. “This time, it’ll be from the front.”

I struck, and stabbed her through her heart, making her eyes bulge as she evaporated into a bunch of monster dust.

The only problem was, Percy and Annabeth seemed to be in trouble.

One of the empousai seemed to have caught Percy off guard when he either tried to shield Annabeth or she tried to shield him, and two were now advancing on Annabeth before she could get up.

I ran forward to help her, but so did Percy, who already had an empousa about to rip his face off. We collided, our heads slamming together, and I heard Percy let out a cry of pain as one of the empousa’s sank her fangs into his neck.

“NO!” I cried, trying to get up. But the two empousai made their decisions quickly, and one chose Annabeth before the other turned on me. Just as I was about to swipe Slasher up, a deep war cry bellowed from somewhere above, echoing across the plains of Tartarus.

Almost immediately, I knew the huge silvery figure had to be a Titan. It was ten feet tall, with wild silver Einstein hair, pure silver eyes and muscular arms protruding from a ripped-up blue janitor’s uniform. In his hand was a massive push broom. His name tag read BOB.

The next thing I knew, Bob landed and stomped the empousa biting Percy flat, trampling her into a mound of monster dust. Right after, he swiped his broom and slammed through the empousa who was about to kill me. 

The last vampire tried to run. The figure threw his broom like a massive boomerang, and sliced through the vampire and returned to the figure’s hand hand. “SWEEP!” The Titan grinned with delight and did a victory dance. “Sweep, sweep, sweep!” 

“H-how …?” Annabeth stammered as she sat up.

“Percy called me!l the janitor said happily. “Yes, he did.” 

Annabeth crawled a little further away. “Called you? He— wait. You’re Bob? The Bob?”

The janitor nodded, but frowned when he noticed Percy’s neck wound. “Owie.” Annabeth flinched as he knelt next to him, like she was getting protective. 

“It’s okay,” Percy said, looking woozy with pain. “He’s friendly.” 

Sure enough, the janitor tapped Percy’s neck and healed it. “All better!” Bob declared, his eerie silver eyes crinkling with pleasure. “I am Bob, Percy’s friend!”

“Uh … yeah,” Percy managed. “Thanks for the help, Bob. It’s really good to see you again.”

“Yes!” the janitor agreed. “Bob. That’s me. Bob, Bob, Bob.” He shuffled around, obviously pleased with his name. “I am helping. I heard my name. Upstairs in Hades’s palace, nobody calls for Bob unless there is a mess. Bob, sweep up these bones. Bob, mop up these tortured souls. Bob, a zombie exploded in the dining room.”

Annabeth gave Percy a puzzled look, but he did nothing but look awkwardly at me, as if he expected me to snap something after what he told me earlier. 

“Then I heard my friend call!” The Titan beamed. “Percy said, Bob!” He grabbed Percy’s arm and hoisted him to his feet. 

“That’s awesome,” Percy said. “Seriously. But how did you—“ 

“Oh, time to talk later.” Bob’s expression turned serious. “We must go before they find you. They are coming. Yes, indeed.”

“They?” I asked immediately, leaping to my feet and scanning the horizon. I saw no approaching monsters— nothing but the stark grey wasteland.

“Yes,” Bob agreed. “But Bob knows a way. Come on, friends! We will have fun!”

Usually, I would be hesitant with strangers— wait, actually, no. What the fuck am I talking about? I’m not nervous around strangers. 

This is just weird, sorry. I’m not sure how to cope with the fact this titan now named ‘Bob’ is helping us. 

I really need Lit here. Right now. Please and thank you. 

We followed Bob through the wasteland, tracing the route of the Phlegethon as we approached the storm front of darkness. Every so often we stopped to drink firewater, which kept us alive, but it wasn’t sufficient. My throat felt like I was constantly gargling with battery acid.

“Bob knows what he’s doing,” I heard Percy whisper to Annabeth.

“You have interesting friends,” Annabeth murmured.

“Bob is interesting!” The Titan turned and grinned. “Yes, thank you!”

He seemed nice enough. Adorable, for a Titan. “So,” I said casually, “how did you get into Tartarus?”

“I jumped,” he said, like it was obvious.

“Of course you did,” I replied with a tight smile. 

“Yes!” He said giddily. “Now, we’re almost at a rest stop.”

I sincerely doubted it would have working bathrooms or a snack bar.

I missed the dam snacks. 

I stared at Bob’s back as he led us towards the wall of darkness, now only a few hundred yards away. His blue janitor’s coveralls were ripped between the shoulder blades, as if someone had tried to stab him, which made me feel kind of sad. Cleaning rags stuck out of his pocket. A squirt bottle swung from his belt, the blue liquid inside sloshing hypnotically.

We continued picking our way across the ashen wasteland as red lightning flashed overhead in the poisonous clouds. Just another lovely day in the dungeon of creation. I couldn’t see far in the hazy air, but the longer we walked, the more certain I became that the entire landscape was a downward curve.

I couldn’t my mind off how Bob was probably one of the most normal things we’d seen. Sometimes, the oddest beings helped you on a journey. Kind of make me remember there had to be hope. Plus, the janitor’s outfit made me feel like I was back in high school.

We passed a blister in the ground— a writhing, translucent bubble the size of a minivan. Curled inside was the half-formed body of a drakon, which made me remember what Lee Fletcher from Apollo used to call me. Drakon Slayer.

I missed him too. 

Bob speared the blister without a second thought just as we got close, and I flinched ever so slightly. It burst in a geyser of steaming yellow slime, and the drakon dissolved into nothing. Bob simply kept walking like it was nothing.

Monsters appeared to be like zits on the skin of Tartarus. As fascinating as this whole twisted landscape— the dome, pit or whatever you called it— was, I had to remember it was literally the body of Tartarus, and I couldn’t disregard the danger all because I was so intrigued by its structure. I feel that’s a downside to being so interested in medicine, in bodies. You start being too involved in the biology of everything to remember what you’re doing. I get so into it, I lose track of time. Lit would be asleep many nights and I’d still be reading deeper into an organ, a simply vessel, all out of curiosity. 

I wouldn’t get to sleep next to him for awhile, and that infuriated me. 

“Here,” Bob said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

We had stopped at the top of a ridge. Below us, in a sheltered depression like a moon crater, stood a ring of broken black marble columns surrounding a dark stone altar.

“Hermes’s shrine,” Bob explained.

“What?” I said, blinking at it. “Why is... why is my dad’s shrine in Tartarus?”

Bob laughed in delight. “It fell from somewhere long ago. Maybe mortal world. Maybe Olympus. Anyway, monsters steer clear. Mostly.”

“How did you know it was here?”Annabeth asked.

Bob’s smile faded. He got a vacant look in his eyes. “Can’t remember.”

“That’s okay,” I said quickly, looking sideways at Annabeth. “This is a nice sight. You made me feel really good right now, Bob.”

At this, he smiled, and let us to climb onto the crater and enter a circle of columns. Annabeth immediately collapsed on a broken slab of marble, clearly too exhausted to take another step. Percy stood over her protectively, scanning our surroundings. 

The inky storm front was less than a hundred feet away now, obscuring everything ahead of us. The crater’s rim blocked our view of the wasteland behind. We’d be well hidden here, but if monsters did stumble across us, we would have no warning.

“You said someone was chasing us,” Annabeth said as she rubbed her eyes. “Who?”

Bob swept his broom around the base of the altar, occasionally crouching to study the ground as if looking for something. “They are following, yes. They know you are here. Giants and Titans. The defeated ones. They know.”

“Why are we stopping, then?” Annabeth replied nervously. “We should keep moving.”

I had a feeling the Titan was making her way too nervous. I kind of couldn’t understand why I was so chill about it. 

“Soon,” Bob said. “But mortals need rest. Good place here. Best place for... oh, long, long way. I will guard you.”

Annabeth glanced at Percy and I uncertainly.

“It’s okay,” I said. “You can sleep. As a matter of fact, I’ll cuddle with you, like we used to when we were little. Remember?”

Annabeth nodded slowly. “In the alleyways. We’d huddle for warmth with Thalia while Luke kept guard.”

“Exactly,” I replied, shooting her the most encouraging smile I could. I had a feeling that even with her having Percy here, she didn’t feel very good. I might as well play big sister again. 

“Yes, please rest,” Percy told us. “I’ll keep the first watch with Bob.”

Bob rumbled in agreement. “Yes, good. When you wake, food should be here!”

I went to sit next to Annabeth and laid back, already bracing myself for the nightmares that would follow. I extended my arm for her, and she reluctantly laid down. I reached my hand up to stroke her hair, hearing her whimper ever so slightly.

“Just rest,” I whispered. “I’m here. Percy’s here.”

She nodded, and yawned. “Percy, wake me for second watch. Don’t be a hero.”

He gave her a devilish smirk that made me snort. “Who, me?” He came over and kissed her, before ruffling my hair. “Sleep. Come on. It’s okay.”

Annabeth relaxed a bit, and slowly, I felt her allow herself to sleep.

Unfortunately, I tried to, but it wasn’t working. There were brief moments where I would miss the conversation I was listening in on between Percy and Bob, so I assumed I slept a tad, but I wasn’t sleeping continuously. I was thankful because it meant no nightmares, but it just had me thinking of Lit.

I was too used to sleeping next to him, and now even with Annabeth next to me, I didn’t feel the same comfort. Here, I was cuddling with one of my best friends, my little sister.

It wasn’t the same as holding or being held by the guy I loved.

It must have been hours later when Annabeth shot up, elbowing me in the face, letting out a small cry.

“Ow!” I hissed as I covered my face. Percy lunged forward to pull Annabeth toward him. “Hey, calm down,” he said soothingly. “I’m here. Bad dreams?”

Annabeth nodded rapidly. “Is it— is it my turn to watch?”

“No, no. We’re good. I let you both sleep.”

“Percy!” She protested.

“Hey, it’s fine. Besides, I was too excited to sleep. Look.”

Bob sat cross-legged by the altar, happily munching a piece of pizza. 

“Wait a minute,” I said as I got up. “Where did that come from?”

“Burnt offerings,” Percy answered. “Sacrifices to Hermes from the mortal world, I guess. They appeared in a cloud of smoke. We’ve got half a hot dog, some grapes, a plate of roast beef and a package of peanut M&M’s.”

“M&M’s for Bob!” Bob said happily. “Uh, that okay?”

“Sure,” I said as I got some pizza for myself. Percy offered Annabeth and I a plate of roast beef, and we kind of shared it (though she had most of it). It tasted heavenly. The brisket was still hot, with exactly the same spicy sweet glaze as the barbecue at Camp Half-Blood.

“Say,” I murmured as I licked my lips. “That tasted very familiar.”

“I think it’s from the Camp,” mused Percy.

“Ah, that explains it,” I said as I observed the M&M’s Bob had. “Peanut M&M’s. Connor always burned a pack for our dad at dinner, just because when he saw him once at a supermarket, they stole some together for Travis and their mother.” 

Bob happily chomped down the last of his M&M’s. “Should go now. They will be here in a few minutes.’”

“A few minutes?” Annabeth tensed, and looked at me immediately. 

“Yes... well, I think minutes...” Bob scratched his silvery hair. “Time is hard in Tartarus. Not the same.”

Percy crept to the edge of the crater. He peered back the way we’d come. “I don’t see anything, but that doesn’t mean much. Bob, which giants are we talking about? Which Titans?”

Bob grunted. “Not sure of names. Six, maybe seven. I can sense them.”

“Six or seven?” Annabeth looked sick to her stomach. “And can they sense you?”

“Don’t know,” Bob smiled. “Bob is different! But they can smell demigods, yes. You three smell very strong. Good strong. Like... hmm. Like buttery bread!”

“Buttery bread,” Annabeth repeated cautiously. “Well, that’s great.”

Percy climbed back to the altar. “Is it possible to kill a giant in Tartarus? I mean, since we don’t have a god to help us?”

He looked at Annabeth as if she actually had an answer, but she just shook her head. 

“Percy, I don’t know. Travelling in Tartarus, fighting monsters here... it’s never been done before. Maybe Bob could help us kill a giant? Maybe a Titan would count as a god? I just don’t know.”

“Yeah,” Percy said, sounding disappointed and worried. “Okay.”

Annabeth then stood, still looking disoriented. Bob started cleaning up, collecting our trash in a little pile, using his squirt bottle to wipe off the altar. I went closer to him and helped him, which made him smile. He had to be trustworthy if he respected my father like that. 

“Where to now?” Annabeth asked.

Percy pointed at the stormy wall of darkness. “Bob says that way. Apparently the Doors of Death—“ 

“You told him?” Annabeth said a bit harshly, making Percy wince. 

“While you were asleep,” he admitted. “Annabeth, Bob can help. We need a guide.”

“Bob helps!’ Bob agreed. “Into the Dark Lands. The Doors of Death... hmm, walking straight to them would be bad. Too many monsters gathered there. Even Bob could not sweep that many. They would kill Percy, Annabeth, and Lydia in about two seconds.” The Titan frowned. “I think seconds. Time is hard in Tartarus.”

“Thank you for your help,” I cut in before Annabeth could say something that might be a little rude. “Is there any other way?”

“Hiding,” said Bob. “The Death Mist could hide you.”

“What’s that?” I asked curiously.

“It is dangerous,” Bob admitted. “But if the lady will give you Death Mist it might hide you. If we can avoid Night. The lady is very close to Night. That is bad.”

“The lady,” Percy repeated.

“Yes.” Bob pointed ahead of us into the inky blackness. “We should go.”

Percy glanced at Annabeth, obviously hoping for her guidance. She seemed lost in thought, and didn’t respond.

“Okay, then,” Percy decided. “I guess we’ll see a lady about some Death Mist.”

“Wait,” Annabeth said, furrowing her eyebrows. She stared at the black altar.

“Annabeth?” Percy sounded concerned.

She walked to the pile of trash and picked out a reasonably clean paper napkin.

“Lydia’s dad... Hermes... communication,” Annabeth murmured. “Teleporting— which Lydia can do. Lydia can also speak all languages... communication... is key...” she looked up at Bob. “Offerings burned in the mortal world appear on this altar, right?”

Bob frowned uncomfortably, like he wasn’t ready for a pop quiz. “Yes?”

“So what happens if I burn something on the altar here?”

“Uh...”

“That’s all right,” Annabeth said quickly. “You don’t know. Nobody knows, because it’s never been done.”

“Are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?” I asked. “You’ve got that ‘I’m planning something’ look.” 

“I don’t have an I’m planning something look,” she insisted.

“Yeah, you totally do,” Percy added. “Your eyebrows knit and your lips press together and—“

“Do you have a pen?” she asked him, raising her eyebrows.

“You’re kidding, right?” He brought out Riptide.

“Yes, but can you actually write with it?” She prompted. 

“I—I don’t know,” he admitted. “Never tried.”

He uncapped the pen. As usual, it sprang into a full-sized sword. Normally when he fought, Percy simply discarded the cap. It always appeared in his pocket later, as needed. When he touched the cap to the point of the sword, it would turn back into a ballpoint pen.

“What if you touch the cap to the other end of the sword?” Annabeth wondered, biting her lip. “Like where you’d put the cap if you were actually going to write with the pen.”

“Uh...” Percy looked doubtful, but he touched the cap to the hilt of the sword. Riptide shrank back into a ballpoint pen, but now the writing point was exposed.

“Holy fuck,” I blurted out, my eyes wide. “That shit— is actually a pen.” I then blushed. “Sorry, excuse my language— I never thought it would actually be a pen.”

“Well fuck, me neither,” Percy whispered.

“May I?” Annabeth plucked it from his hand. She flattened the napkin against the altar and began to write. Riptide’s ink glowed Celestial bronze.

“What are you doing?” Percy asked.

“Sending a message,” Annabeth said. “I just hope Rachel gets it.” 

“Rachel?” I asked. “The Rachel you used to tease me about, saying she was my girlfriend just cause I flirted with her?”

“That’s the one. And FYI, you did try and get at her. What’d she tell you?”

“‘I’m straight though, sorry,’” I recited with fake sadness. It felt nice to joke around, but that just made me miss Lit more. 

Annabeth finished her note and folded the napkin. “Lydia, can you write a message on the front for your siblings? So they know you’re okay and can communicate with Lit?”

I nodded, and on the outside, quickly scribbled: 

“ _Connor or Travis, Give this to Rachel ASAP. Not a prank. Percy and Annabeth are with me. Don’t be a moron, little bro (or bros?). Love, Lydia <3 P.S. Please find a way to contact Lit. Tell him I love him. Please_.”

Annabeth looked over and nodded. “Just a debriefing— I’m asking Rachel for a favor. Something to do with the dream I had. Now I just need to burn it. Lydia— your glowing hands. Do they glow enough to light something on fire?”

“I’ve never tried it, but maybe,” I said, reaching my hand out as Annabeth placed the napkin on the altar. I concentrated, and my hand began to glow in its golden light. I let it hover over the paper.

For a few seconds, nothing happened, then suddenly, the napkin burst into flames, and I leapt back. We watched it crumble to ash, and I let out a soft sigh.

I really hoped this worked.

“We should go now,” Bob advised. “Really, really go. Before we are killed.”

I stared up at the wall of blackness in front of us. Somewhere in there was a lady who dispensed a Death Mist that might hide us from monsters— a plan recommended by a Titan, who although trustworthy, could be potentially wrong.

“Let’s go, then,” I muttered.


	69. I Realize I’m Kinda (Very) Screwed

After entering the storm front, we plodded on for what seemed like hours, relying on the light of Percy and I’s almost identical Celestial bronze blades, and on Bob, who glowed faintly in the dark like some sort of crazy janitor angel.

He was a sweetheart, even for a Titan.

The thing that got me worried was that I could only see about five feet in front of me. It was like the fog here was made of ink. Rocks loomed out of nowhere. Pits appeared at our feet, and Annabeth barely avoided falling into one, at one point. Monstrous roars echoed in the gloom, but I couldn’t tell where they came from. All I could be certain of was that the terrain was still sloping down.

Down seemed to be the only direction allowed in Tartarus. If I attempted to backtrack even a step, I felt tired and heavy, as if gravity were increasing to discourage me. Assuming that the entire pit was the body of Tartarus, I had a nasty feeling we were marching straight down his throat.

I was so preoccupied with wondering what the texture of that might really be like, that I didn’t notice the ledge until it was too late.

Percy yelled, “Whoa!” He grabbed for my arm, but I was already falling. Fortunately, it was only a shallow depression. Most of it was filled with a monster blister. I was afforded a soft landing on a warm bouncy surface. However, I looked around and found myself staring through a glowing gold membrane at another, much larger face.

I jumped back, staring at it wide-eyed. I had managed not to scream, but it had terrified me, and soon after I scrambled to my feet. “Who is that?!” I asked as I stared at the figure. Curled in the membrane bubble in front of me was a fully formed Titan in golden armour, his skin the colour of polished pennies. His eyes were closed, but he scowled so deeply he appeared to be on the verge of a bloodcurdling war cry. Even through the blister, I could feel the heat radiating from his body.

“Hyperion,” Percy said. “You were injured when we fought him. I hate that guy.”

“I thought Grover turned this guy into a maple tree,” Annabeth whimpered.

“Yeah,” Percy agreed. “Maybe the maple tree died, and he wound up back here?”

“Maybe,” Annabeth murmured. She looked back at Bob and tensed, and I soon after realized why. 

The silvery Titan was studying Hyperion with a frown of concentration— maybe recognition. Hyperion was his brother, and I wondered if Bob actually recognized him. Hyperion was the Titan lord of the east. Iapetus, Bob, was the lord of the west. Take away Bob’s broom and his janitor’s clothes, put him in armour and cut his hair, change his colour scheme from silver to gold, and Iapetus would have been almost indistinguishable from Hyperion.

“Bob,” Annabeth said, “we should go.”

“Gold, not silver,” Bob murmured. “But he looks like me.”

“Bob,” Percy said. “Hey, buddy, over here.”

The Titan reluctantly turned.

“Am I your friend?” Percy asked.

“Yes.” Bob sounded dangerously uncertain. “We are friends.”

“You know that some monsters are good,” Percy said. “And some are bad.”

“Hmm,” Bob said. “Like... the pretty ghost ladies who serve Persephone are good. Exploding zombies are bad.”

“Right,” Percy noted. “And some mortals are good, and some are bad. Well, the same thing is true for Titans.”

“Titans...” Bob loomed over them, glowering. 

“That’s what you are,” Percy said calmly. “Bob the Titan. You’re good. You’re awesome, in fact. But some Titans are not. This guy here, Hyperion, is full-on bad. He tried to kill me... tried to kill a lot of people.”

Bob blinked his silver eyes. “But he looks... his face is so—“

“He looks like you,” Percy agreed. “He’s a Titan, like you. But he’s not good like you are.”

“Bob is good.” His fingers tightened on his broom handle. “Yes. There is always at least one good one— monsters, Titans, giants.” 

“Uh...” Percy grimaced. “Well, I’m not sure about the giants.”

“Oh, yes.” Bob nodded earnestly.

“We should go,” Annabeth urged. “What do we do about...?” 

“Bob,” Percy said, “it’s your call. Hyperion is your kind. We could leave him alone, but if he wakes up—“

Bob’s broom-spear swept into motion. If he’d been aiming at Annabeth or Percy or me, we would’ve been cut in half. Instead, Bob slashed through the monstrous blister, which burst in a geyser of hot golden mud. Where Hyperion had been, there was nothing but a smoking crater.

“Hyperion is a bad Titan,” Bob announced, his expression grim. “Now he can’t hurt my friends. He will have to re-form somewhere else in Tartarus. Hopefully it will take a long time.”

The Titan’s eyes seemed brighter than usual, as if he were about to cry quicksilver.

“Thank you, Bob,” Percy said.

Suddenly, I was seeing Percy in a new light. One, he had kept his cool convincing Bob he was good. It was almost scary. Two, he had been responsible for Bob losing his memory, and him insisting they were friends... well he’d never told me about Bob. How could they have been friends? The manipulation was something that terrified me. Sure, maybe being in Tartarus was just making me easily annoyed at what my friends did, but I was feeling a darkness settling in all of us.

It probably might have been useful to tell someone I had some more violent urges, but I said nothing.

After a while, I felt a bit calmer, but everything just felt overwhelming and wrong.

“So where exactly are we going?” I asked softly.

“The lady,” Bob said. “Death Mist.”

“Does she have a specific name?”

“Naming her?” Bob glanced back. “Not a good idea.”

“Can you at least tell us how far?” Annabeth asked, sounding impatient. 

“I do not know,” Bob admitted. “I can only feel it. We wait for the darkness to get darker. Then we go sideways.”

“Sideways,” Annabeth muttered. “Naturally.”

Yeah, remember me mentioning I’m getting easily annoyed by my friends? This is another example. Annabeth keeps acting rude and irritable towards Bob as if he isn’t helping us. Even she has to know if he had a sinister plan, one of us would have caught onto it now. Plus with the three of us, he wouldn’t stand a chance. I wish she would stop making snarky comments. 

Suddenly Bob stopped ahead of us. He raised his hand: Wait.

“What?” Percy whispered.

“Shh,” Bob warned. “Ahead. Something moves.”

I strained my ears in the hopes I would hear something. From somewhere in the fog came a deep thrumming noise, like the idling engine of a large construction vehicle. I could practically feel the vibrations through my shoes.

“We will surround it,” Bob whispered. “Each of you, take a flank.”

We split immediately, weapons out. I went left, Percy right, Annabeth nearer to Bob in the middle, the Titan’s spearhead glowing in the fog.

The humming got louder, shaking the gravel at Annabeth’s feet. The noise seemed to be coming from immediately in front of us.

“Ready?” Bob murmured.

“On my three?” I asked, deciding to take charge of the counting. The others nodded. “Alright. One... two—“

A figure appeared in the fog. Bob raised his spear.

“Wait!” Annabeth shrieked.

Bob froze just in time, the point of his spear hovering an inch above the head of a tiny calico kitten. “Rrow?” said the kitten, clearly unimpressed by our attack plan. It butted its head against Bob’s foot and purred loudly.

“Aw, it’s so cute,” I said softly, realizing the deep rumbling sound was coming from the kitten. As it purred, the ground vibrated and pebbles danced. The kitten fixed its yellow, lamp-like eyes on one particular rock, right between Annabeth’s feet, and pounced.

The cat could’ve been a demon or a horrible Underworld monster in disguise. But Annabeth and I definitely couldn’t help it. She picked it up and cuddled it, waving me over. I trotted to them and caressed its head. The little thing was bony under its fur, but otherwise it seemed perfectly normal.

“How did you get here, little one?” I asked softly. Of course, the kitten didn’t answer. It grew impatient in Annabeth’s arms and squirmed away, landing with a thump. It padded over to Bob and started purring again as it rubbed against his boots.

Percy laughed. “Somebody likes you, Bob.”

“It must be a good monster.” Bob looked up nervously. “Isn’t it?”

“Oh yes, certainly,” I sighed, still staring at the little thing. Bob knelt down and scooped up the cat. It fitted perfectly in his palm, but it decided to explore. It climbed the Titan’s arm, made itself at home on his shoulder and closed its eyes, purring like an earthmover. Suddenly its fur shimmered. In a flash, the kitten became a ghostly skeleton, as if it had stepped behind an X-ray machine. Then it was a regular kitten again.

“Oh my gods!” I shrieked, going over and taking a closer look. “Percy, do you remember—?”

“The kittens from the Smithsonian,” he confirmed. “You snuck in there with me after we followed the group ‘cause for some reason Chiron didn’t want you to go with them on the quest.”

“That’s one of them?” Annabeth asked incredulously. “How did it get here?”

Percy spread his hands helplessly. “Atlas told his servants to take the kittens away. Maybe they destroyed the cats and they were reborn in Tartarus? I don’t know.”

“It’s cute,” Bob said, as the kitten sniffed his ear.

“But is it safe?” Annabeth asked.

The Titan scratched the kitten’s chin. “I think it is,” I said with a shrug.

“I will call him Small Bob,” said Bob, which just about made me melt from the cuteness overload. “He is a good monster.”

End of discussion. The Titan hefted his spear and they continued marching into the gloom, the small cat still on his shoulder. Eventually, Small Bob began pacing across Bob’s shoulders and purring as he walked, occasionally turning into a glowing kitty skeleton and then back to a calico fuzz-ball.

“That’s so fucking cute,” I said, smiling at the sight.

“Yep,” Percy agreed pleasantly.

“Here,” Bob announced after awhile.

He stopped so suddenly, Annabeth almost ran into him, and Percy had to pull her back. Bob stared off to our left, as if deep in thought.

“Is this the place?” Annabeth asked. “Where we go sideways?”

“Yes,” Bob agreed. “Darker, then sideways.”

Well, I couldn’t tell if it was actually darker, but the air definitely did seem colder and thicker, as if we’d stepped into a different microclimate. It made me wonder if the Titans had built their palace on Mount Tamalpais because the Bay Area reminded them of Tartarus.

I guess Frisco is more than just where Full House was filmed. 

Bob struck off to the left, and we followed. The air got colder. Beside me, Annabeth pressed against Percy for warmth. He put his arm around her. I wished I could share their warmth but I was too sick of third-wheeling. 

We seemed to have entered some sort of forest. Towering black trees soared into the gloom, perfectly round and bare of branches, like monstrous hair follicles. The ground was smooth and pale.

Suddenly Annabeth stopped, making me tense. “What is it?” I asked as I raised Slasher.

Bob turned and looked back, confused. “We are stopping?”

Annabeth held up her hand for silence, then looked to our right. I caught the same movement she did. A tree seemed go be shaking. 

“Something’s moving above us,” Annabeth whispered. “Gather up.”

Bob, Percy, and I closed ranks with her, standing back to back. I strained my eyes, trying to see above us in the dark, but nothing moved. I wish I had super vision or something. 

Suddenly, a figure dropped to the ground only five feet away. 

The creature looked almost exactly like a Fury, but somehow I knew it wasn’t one. It was a wrinkled hag with bat-like wings, brass talons and glowing red eyes. She wore a tattered dress of black silk, and her face was twisted and ravenous, like a demonic grandmother in the mood to kill.

Bob grunted as another one dropped in front of him, and then another in front of Percy, and finally one in front of me. Soon there were half a dozen surrounding them. More hissed in the trees above.

“What are you?” Annabeth demanded.

 _The arai_ , hissed a voice. _The curses!_

I tried desperately to locate the speaker, but none of the demons had moved their mouths. Their eyes looked dead; their expressions were frozen, like a puppet’s. The voice simply floated overhead like a movie narrator’s, as if a single mind controlled all the creatures.

“What do you want from us?” I asked as confidently as I could.

The voice cackled maliciously. _To curse you, of course! To destroy you a thousand times in the name of Mother Night!_

“Only a thousand times?” Percy murmured. “Oh good... I thought we were in trouble.”

Not the best thing to say, because it just made the demon ladies close in on us.

The instant they attacked, we all jumped into battle mode, because the one thing we did know how to do here was fight. 

I jabbed and cut Slasher through the air, trying my best to subdue the hags that came near me. But the voices were overwhelming, to say the least, and even when I cut them, they weren’t dying. 

_We are the arai_ , said that weird voice-over, like the entire forest was speaking. _You cannot destroy us._

Annabeth pressed against my shoulder. “Don’t touch them,” she warned us. “They’re the spirits of curses.”

“Bob doesn’t like curses,” Bob decided. The skeleton kitten Small Bob disappeared inside his coveralls. Smart cat. The Titan swept his broom in a wide arc, forcing the spirits back, but they came in again like the tide.

 _We serve the bitter and the defeated_ , said the arai. _We serve the slain who prayed for vengeance with their final breath. We have many curses to share with you._

“That’s cute but not today,” I said, giving them a cheeky smile as I kept darting side to side and cutting through whoever got closest to me. Yet, they didn’t die. 

“Yeah, I appreciate the offer and all that,” Percy added, “but my mom told me not to accept curses from strangers.”

The nearest demon lunged at me, and I swiped my sword out, finally cutting her in half. However, the instant she vaporized, I stumbled back, my chest flaring with pain. I clamped my hand to my rib cage, and when I brought my hand up, my fingers came away wet and red with blood. 

“Lydia, you’re bleeding!” Annabeth cried, which was kind of obvious to me at that point. “Oh, gods, on both sides.”

“Huh?” I looked down, my vision somewhat hazy. The left and right hems of my tattered shirt were sticky with blood, as if a throwing knife had run me through.

“Oh fuck,” I murmured, trying to stand straight. “A curse from the slain. Geryon... I threw a knife... cut all three of his chests....”

The spirits bared their fangs. More arai leaped from the black trees, flapping their leathery wings. _Yes_ , they agreed. _Feel the pain you inflicted upon Geryon. So many curses have been levelled at you, Lydia Castellan. You have killed more monsters than almost every demigod that has ever existed— many of the most ancient and powerful. Which of their curses will you die from? Choose, or we will rip you apart!_

Somehow I stayed on my feet. The blood stopped spreading, but I still felt like I had a hot metal curtain rod sticking through my ribs. My sword arm was heavy and weak, and Slasher trembled from my lack of a good hold.

“I don’t understand,” I muttered. “How...?”

Bob’s voice seemed to echo from the end of a long tunnel: “If you kill one, it gives you a curse.”

“But if we don’t kill them...” Annabeth said.

“They’ll kill us anyway,” Percy guessed.

 _Choose_! the arai cried. _Will you be impaled then crushed like you did to Kampê? Or will you and Percy Jackson choose to be disintegrated like the young telkhines you slaughtered under Mount St Helens? You have spread so much death and suffering, Lydia Castellan. Let us repay you!_

The winged hags pressed in, their breath sour, their eyes burning with hatred. If they really embodied the dying curses of every enemy I had ever destroyed... then I was in serious trouble.

One of the demons lunged at Annabeth. Instinctively, she dodged. She brought her rock down on the old lady’s head and broke her into dust. But instantly, Annabeth dropped her rock and cried in alarm.

“I can’t see!” She touched her face, looking around wildly. Her eyes were pure white.

“Oh shit!” I cried, Percy and I running to her side.

 _Polyphemus cursed you when you tricked him with your invisibility in the Sea of Monsters. You called yourself Nobody. He could not see you. Now you will not see your attackers,_ the arai jeered. 

“I’ve got you,” Percy promised. He put his arm around Annabeth. The arai lunged at us, and I swiped, cutting through another completely, only to scream again, grabbing my chest. My heart felt like it was beating a million miles an hour, but it was painful, and my knees buckled.

 _Oh yes, one of the worst curses_ , the arai said maliciously. _Enceladus. You ripped him apart with your mind only, Lydia Castellan. That murderous force you never could hold back...._

Almost immediately I remembered how that’d gone down. I was screwed. 

_“Enceladus, look behind you!” Piper yelled convincingly._

_He turned, like there might’ve been a giant spider on his back._

_Lit and Jason launched themselves at the giant’s legs at the right moment, slamming into the crater and sliding to the bottom. The boys both scrambled back up quickly, and I closed my eyes, visualizing the insides of the giant._

_It was probably the most murderous thing I’ve ever done up to this point, and you can thank Annabeth for discovering that I could see inside creatures and machines._

_I concentrated all my energy on Enceladus’s heart, and slashed my arms upward._

_The giant roared and grabbed his chest, his eyes bulging._

_“Your turn, Jason!” I said, stumbling back._

_He stepped forward and closed his eyes. Below us, Enceladus was gasping, as I’d practically torn his heart apart, and was making him leak ichor from the inside— something he could not easily fix._

_“HIT THE DECK!”_

_Lit grabbed me and slammed me to the floor, his body completely shielding mine from the blast that followed._

_Lightning cracked loudly and surged through Jason, and into the crater. The entire mountain rumbled and split, tearing apart the earth below us. Enceladus’s legs slid into the chasm. He clawed helplessness at the glassy sides of the pit, and just for a moment managed to hold on to the edge, his hands trembling._

_He fixed his eyes on me. “You have... won NOTHING... girl. My brothers are rising... and they are ten times as strong as I. We... will destroy the gods at their roots!” He licked his lips. “You are just... a murderer... you are no hero... this that you have done... is not a power of a demigod... you are a monster....you belong... in Tartarus... and you will DIE... and Olympus will die with—“_

_The giant lost his grip and fell into the crevice._

_Yes_ , the arai continued as I cried out in pain again, panicking because I couldn’t breathe. If this was how it felt for my heart to burst, I would have been dead in seconds, but now, it was just an infinite load of pain. _You remember that... he cursed that pain onto you. That darkness doesn’t go away..._

_Khione turned to me, smirking wickedly at Hera, in her prison, them at me. “As for you. My my, aren’t you crafty. I can see why Lit likes you. He’s always enjoyed someone with a dark side, someone who is manipulative and scheming, and wants to twist the way others perceive things. Yes, in that aspect you are JUST like your father. You may not think you are dark, Lydia Castellan, but I think you are the darkest one here. You don’t think I watched you tear Enceladus apart with your mere mind? Well I did. And that is not something a demigod should be able to do. Gaea will not destroy me, but she will destroy you. You are not a force we want alive.”_

I let out a pained scream, the pressure in my chest becoming unbearable. Annabeth was still blinded, and she was whimpering. I thought that might be it, but I heard Bob yell: “SWEEP!”

His broom whooshed over my head. The entire arai offensive line toppled backwards like bowling pins. More surged forward. Bob whacked one over the head and speared another, blasting them to dust. The others backed away.

“Bob, you okay?” Percy asked immediately. “No curses?”

“No curses for Bob!” Bob agreed.

The arai snarled and circled, eying the broom. _The Titan is already cursed. Why should we_ _torture him further? You, Percy Jackson, have already destroyed his memory._

Bob’s spearhead dipped.

“Bob, don’t listen to them,” Annabeth cried. “They’re evil!”

Bob turned. His wild white hair looked like an exploded halo. “My memory ... It was you?”

 _Curse him, Titan!_ the arai urged, their red eyes gleaming. _Add to our numbers!_

As I fell completely to the floor, unable to move, Percy tried desperately to convince him otherwise. I was in more pain now because he was fucking lying, and he hadn’t even bothered to make up for what he’d done by visiting Bob. “Bob, it’s a long story. I didn’t want you to be my enemy. I tried to make you a friend.”

 _By stealing your life_ , the arai said. _Leaving you in the palace of Hades to scrub floors!_

I felt Annabeth yank me up, and I weakly slumped against her. “Which way?” she whispered to Percy. “If we have to run?” I was feeling a bit better but I didn’t think I’d be able to run for very long.

“Bob, listen,” he tried again, “the arai want you to get angry. They spawn from bitter thoughts. Don’t give them what they want. We are your friends.”

But it was such an utter lie. As I felt myself able to breathe again, I was just wincing and holding back the urge to defend Bob, because this was bullshit. Percy had left Bob in the Underworld and hadn’t given him a thought since. What made us all friends? The fact that Percy, Annabeth, and I needed him now?

 _You see his face?_ the arai growled. _The boy cannot even convince himself. Did he visit you, after he stole your memory?_

“No,” Bob murmured. His lower lip quivered. “The other one did.”

“The other one?” Percy asked slowly.

“Nico.” Bob scowled at him, his eyes full of hurt. “Nico visited. Told me about Percy. Said Percy was good. Said he was a friend. That is why Bob helped.”

The arai attacked, and this time Bob did not stop them.


	70. Stuff Goes Down... Yeah

“LEFT!” Percy dragged Annabeth and I, slicing through the arai to clear a path. He probably brought down a dozen curses on himself, but he didn’t stop. He was pulling us all along. I couldn’t run— the pain from Enceladus’s curse was too much, and it wasn’t fading. The pain in my chest flared with every step.

Leathery wings beat the air above us. Angry hissing and the scuttling of clawed feet told him the demons were at our backs.

As we ran past one of the black trees, Percy slashed his sword across the trunk. I heard it topple, followed by the satisfying crunch of several dozen arai as they were smashed flat.

If a tree falls in the forest and crushes a demon, does the tree get cursed?

Percy slashed down another trunk, then another. It bought us a few seconds, but not enough.

Suddenly the darkness in front of us became thicker. I cried out and yanked us all back just before we charged off the side of a cliff.

“What?” Annabeth cried. “What is it?”

“Cliff,” I gasped. “Big cliff.”

“Which way, then?” Annabeth whimpered. 

“I-I don’t know,” I mumbled. “I can’t see how far the cliff drops. It could be ten feet or a thousand. There‘s no telling what‘s at the bottom.“

“So, two options: right or left, following the edge,” Percy panted. I nodded, but before we could move anywhere, a winged demon descended in front of us, hovering over the void on her bat wings, just out of sword reach.

 _Did you have a nice walk?_ asked the collective voice, echoing all around us.

I turned and winced. The arai poured out of the woods, making a crescent around us. One grabbed Annabeth’s arm. Annabeth wailed in rage, judo-flipping the monster and dropping on its neck, putting her whole body weight into an elbow strike that would’ve made any pro wrestler proud.

The demon dissolved, but when Annabeth got to her feet she looked stunned and afraid as well as blind.

“Percy?” she called, panic creeping into her voice.

“I’m right here,” Percy said immediately. “Lydia and I are right here.” 

I looked around and realized every time I thought we moved toward her, she was somewhere else. 

“Percy!” Annabeth’s voice cracked. “Why did you leave me?”

“I didn’t!” He turned on the arai, his arms shaking with anger. “What did you do to her?”

 _We did nothing_ , the demons said. _Your beloved has unleashed a special curse— a bitter thought from someone you abandoned. You punished an innocent soul by leaving her in her solitude. Now her most hateful wish has come to pass: Annabeth feels her despair. She, too, will perish alone and abandoned._

“What?” I choked, still struggling to breathe as Annabeth called for Percy. She was stumbling through the arai ranks. “Percy, who did—?”

“Calypso,” he said softly, his eyes wide. “You— you landed in Seattle after the volcano erupted— I was on her island— but she— she wouldn’t! She’d never curse me!”

The eyes of the demons blurred together like their voices. Annabeth wandered among the demons, desperately calling Percy’s name. We couldn’t even get to her— the arai wouldn’t allow it. 

Percy clenched his jaw. “Lydia— we need to attack all of them,” he mumbled. I winced and brought out my sword as he yelled in fury and attacked them all.

I launched myself forward, glad I wasn’t still too weak. I was cutting through the arai, ignoring the pain that flared up all over my body. Percy fought like a demon beside me, also cutting through the arai as if they were made of powdered sugar. One that I attacked panicked and ran face-first into a tree. Another screeched and tried to fly away, but Percy sliced off her wings and sent her spiralling into the chasm, which I used as a technique to kill a few myself.

But each time a demon disintegrated, I felt a heavier sense of dread as another curse settled on me. Some were harsh and painful: a stabbing in the gut, a burning sensation like I was being blasted by a blowtorch. Some were subtle: a chill in the blood, an uncontrollable tic in my right eye— basically any discomfort or pain that would leave me at a disadvantage when fighting.

I knew I had killed a lot of monsters— definitely more than Percy. But I’d never put that into perspective. Never thought about it it from the monsters’ point of view. Now all their pain and anger and bitterness poured over us, sapping our strength. Percy was roaring in pain as he cut, and cut, and I imitated him, but the arai were like a variation of a hydra, continuing to appear.

“I can’t—“ I choked as I cut through another one. Enceladus’s curse seemed to be building up again. “Percy, Percy I c-can’t—“

“Lydia, keep fucking attacking them!” He bellowed.

I cried out as I tried to swing, but my sword arm was exhausted. I tried to switch hands, but that arm was also tired. My body ached, and my vision blurred. Annabeth was still calling for Percy, and she seemed further and further away. 

“Percy!” I sobbed, my legs shaking uncontrollably as I forced myself to keep fighting. “I can’t—“

“KEEP FIGHTING!” Percy yelled. “LYDIA PLEASE!”

I whimpered, and did my best to stay upright despite all the pain I felt. But I wasn’t going to last much longer. 

“Percy, please!” I begged, my legs buckling beneath me. I dropped my sword, and just as I felt my body relax, Percy yanked me up by my shirt. “KEEP FIGHTING! KEEP FUCKING FIGHTING!” He bellowed in my ear. “I DON’T CARE IF IT HURTS! KEEP FIGHTING! WE’RE BOTH IN PAIN, DON’T BE A FUCKING BABY!”

Almost immediately I crumpled to the floor, because my legs just couldn’t handle it, but I mustered the last bit of my strength to crawl away from Percy, dragging Slasher with me. 

I’d never been afraid of Percy, but now I was. In his desperation, he was practically forcing me to keep fighting. 

This just made the arai chuckle malevolently. _You can curse him too, Lydia. When we kill you, you can curse him._

“No,” I moaned as Percy lunged at me and yanked me up again. “LYDIA GET UP!” He roared. “GET UP!”

I shook my head wildly. “Percy no! Stop! Please— please let me— AHHH—“

Percy dropped me, and my chest exploded in pain again. I screamed and clapped my hands over my heart, writhing on the floor as I felt my heart bursting all over again. “N-N-No— p-please— please no—“ My hands were covered in blood— really, my entire body was bleeding now, and I couldn’t move anymore.

 _You see the horror of the pit?_ the arai said soothingly. _Give up, as she has, Percy Jackson. Isn’t death better than enduring this place?_

Percy looked at me, and I saw regret. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, his eyes sad. “Bob... I’m sorry... Lydia... Annabeth....”

 _He apologizes!_ The arai shrieked with delight. _He regrets his failed life, his crimes against the children of Tartarus!_

“No,” Percy said as he collapsed beside me. “I’m sorry, Bob. I should’ve been honest with you. Please... forgive me. Lydia... I’m sorry... I kept hurting you.... Bob please... it’s not their fault... Protect Annabeth... Protect Lydia...”

He slumped to the floor beside me, his breathing shallow. I could barely see him, he was blurring before me.

 _Poor Lydia Castellan, feeling all the pain at once,_ the arai cooed. _Enceladus... Kampê... Geryon... even Porphyrion... the dracanae... the drakons... the empousai... other monsters... all at once. Do you feel it?_

I felt like dying, was what. My body felt like it’d been lit on fire. I could barely breathe, and I was certain I wasn’t going to last much longer. 

“P-Percy,” I whispered, closing my eyes. “Get... Annabeth out... leave me... tell L-Lit I love him...”

Then I blacked out.

________

The other night, I hadn’t slept well, and I hadn’t dreamed.

Now, it seemed I was in for an extra long one.

In the dream, I found myself on the roof of a very tall building, the night-time skyline of Manhattan spread around me. A cold wind whipped through my clothes, which here were still covered in blood and ripped thanks to the arai, though thankfully I felt no pain.

As I looked around, I caught sight of the building were Lit and I had our first date. Then, the Empire State Building. Clouds gathered above it— the entrance to Mount Olympus itself. Lightning flashed. The air was metallic with the smell of oncoming rain. The top of the skyscraper was lit up as usual, but the lights seemed to be malfunctioning. They flickered from purple to orange as if the colours were fighting for dominance.

The Romans and Greeks?

I took a step back, and almost immediately froze.

I wasn’t alone. I felt a presence... something I hadn’t felt in awhile. Someone was beside me, but I wasn’t sure who. I had only ever shared dreams with Percy before, for some strange reason. Perhaps he was here now, and had also gone unconscious.

It didn’t smell like the sea, though. That’s what Percy smelled like. It was windy, so I couldn’t distinguish it, exactly, all I knew was it wasn’t the salty ocean smell. 

I walked along the roof, ignoring the presence. I noticed I felt the presence following me, but it felt... doubled now. I stopped as I realized several of the Roman demigods were assembled along the roof in their combat armor. The two presences stopped on either side of me. For a second, I smelled fire, so I thought maybe Leo, but then I realized it was more electric.

So one of the two sharing the dream with me was Jason.

Jason must have clearly recognized his comrades here, but I certainly didn’t. The demigods had their Imperial gold weapons and shields glinting in the dark beside them. The scarecrow looking bastard— Octavian— stood to one side, thin and pale, and probably annoying as always, his eyes red-rimmed from sleeplessness or anger, a string of sacrificial stuffed animals around his waist. His augur’s white robe was draped over a purple T-shirt and cargo pants.

In the center of the line stood none other than Reyna, her metal dogs Aurum and Argentum at her side. I couldn’t help but feel my heart skip a beat. What would have happened if I had met her before I met Lit? We’d shared a connection in Circe’s Island. Maybe she wasn’t bi like me, but there was _something_.

The poor thing looked absolutely exhausted. I may not know her well enough, but I could recognize the weariness in her eyes, the tightness in her shoulders under the straps of her armour. It was how Lit got when he was stressed, and she bore she same expression. Her dark hair was wet, like she’d taken a hasty shower.

The Romans stared at the roof-access door as if they were waiting for someone, and almost immediately I remembered the message Annabeth had sent to Rachel. Annabeth said it was a favor, but she had later mentioned it had something to do with Reyna. 

When the door opened, two people emerged. My mouth dropped open realizing who it was.

First I noticed Grover, who wore a green Nature Conservancy T-shirt with pictures of endangered whales and tigers and stuff. Nothing covered his shaggy legs and hooves. He still had his bushy goatee, his curly brown hair tucked into a Rasta-style cap, and a set of reed pipes around his neck. His hands fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, but considering the way he studied the Romans, noting their positions and their weapons, he was remembering the combat we had experienced before, just with a twist. Gods, how I missed him.

To his right was none other than our oracle and my pretend girlfriend Rachel. Her hair was still long and very frizzy, and she wore a plain white blouse and jeans covered with hand-drawn ink designs. She held a blue plastic hairbrush that she tapped nervously against her thigh like a good luck talisman. It was only after a few seconds of consideration that I remembered that _was_ her good luck charm— she’d hit Luke (well, Kronos) in the eye with it.

Rachel stepped forward, her eyes fixed on Reyna. “You got my message.”

Octavian snorted, and I wanted to smack him. “That’s the only reason you made it this far alive, Graecus. I hope you’ve come to discuss surrender terms.”

“Octavian...” Reyna warned.

“At least search them!” Octavian protested.

“No need,” Reyna said, studying Rachel Dare. “Do you bring weapons?”

Rachel shrugged. “I hit Kronos in the eye with this hairbrush once. Otherwise, no.”

The Romans didn’t seem to know what to make of that. The mortal didn’t sound like she was kidding, so they simply believed her. 

“And your friend?” Reyna nodded to the satyr. “I thought you were coming alone.”

“This is Grover Underwood,” Rachel said. “He’s a leader of the Council.”

“What council?” Octavian demanded. Someone smack him already! 

“Cloven Elders, man.” Grover’s voice was high and reedy, as if he were terrified, but I knew it was probably just meeting Romans that made him nervous. “Seriously, don’t you Romans have nature and trees and stuff? I’ve got some news you need to hear. Plus, I’m a card-carrying protector. I’m here to, you know, protect Rachel.”

Reyna looked like she was trying not to smile. “But no weapons?”

“Just the pipes.” Grover’s expression became wistful. “Percy always said my cover of “Born to be Wild” should count as a dangerous weapon, but I don’t think it’s that bad. I did play a really deadly Metallica song once for Lydia, though, and several fainted.”

Octavian sneered. “Another friend of Percy Jackson and that Lydia Castellan. That’s all I need to hear.”

Reyna held up her hand for silence. Her gold and silver dogs sniffed the air, but they remained calm and attentive at her side.

“So far, our guests speak the truth,” Reyna said. “Be warned, Rachel and Grover, if you start to lie, this conversation will not go well for you. Say what you came to say.”

From her jeans pocket, Rachel dug out a piece of paper like a napkin. “A message. From Annabeth and Lydia, from Tartarus. Lydia’s note is at the front— a message to her brothers. Annabeth’s is inside.”

Reyna took the note, looking suspicious. As she read it, her eyebrows crept higher. Dang, what exactly had Annabeth asked her to do? Her mouth parted in shock. Finally, she looked up at Rachel. “Is this a joke?”

“I wish,” Rachel said. “They’re really in Tartarus.”

“But how—“ 

“I don’t know,” Rachel said. “The note appeared in the sacrificial fire at our dining pavilion. That’s Annabeth’s handwriting, and Lydia’s on the front. She asks for you by name.”

Octavian stirred. “Tartarus? What do you mean?”

Reyna handed him the letter.

Octavian muttered as he read: “Rome, Arachne, Athena— Athena Parthenos?” He looked around in outrage, as if waiting for someone to contradict what he was reading. “A Greek trick! Greeks are infamous for their tricks!”

Reyna took back the note. “Why ask this of me?’

Rachel smiled. “Because Annabeth is wise. She believes you can do this, Reyna Avila Ramírez- Arellano.”

I could tell that Reyna got very self conscious hearing her entire name. She quite literally looked like she’d been slapped in the face. 

Reyna scowled. “How did you—“ 

“Uh,” Grover Underwood interrupted. “You mean your initials are RA-RA?”

Reyna’s hand drifted towards her dagger. I could tell Grover’s comment had clearly set her off, and now she was probably looking for a way to intimidate him, but he composed himself rather fast. 

“But that’s not important!” Grover said quickly. “Look, we wouldn’t have risked coming here if

we didn’t trust Annabeth’s instincts. A Roman leader returning the most important Greek statue to Camp Half-Blood— she knows that could prevent a war.” 

“This isn’t a trick,” Rachel added. “We’re not lying. Ask your dogs.”

The metallic greyhounds didn’t react. Reyna stroked Aurum’s head thoughtfully, as if still considering everything she had read in Annabeth’s note. “The Athena Parthenos... so the legend is true.”

“Reyna!” Octavian cried. How has no one beaten his face in, seriously, “You can’t seriously be considering this! Even if the statue still exists, you see what they’re doing. We’re on the verge of attacking them— destroying the stupid Greeks once and for all— and they concoct this stupid errand to divert your attention. They want to send you to your death!”

The other Romans muttered, glaring at their visitors. I remembered how persuasive Octavian could be, and he was winning the officers to his side. I hated that he even dared to oppose Reyna, but of course he loved war, he wanted the conflict, and if Reyna complied, he would get none of that. If she failed, he could even step up into power. 

Rachel faced the scrawny augur. “Octavian, son of Apollo, you should take this more seriously. Even Romans respected your father’s Oracle of Delphi.”

“Ha!” Octavian said in a mocking tone. “You’re the Oracle of Delphi? Right. And I’m the Emperor Nero!”

“At least Nero could play music,” Grover muttered.

Octavian balled his fists.

Suddenly the wind shifted. It swirled around the Romans with a hissing sound, like a nest of snakes. Rachel glowed in a green aura, as if hit by a soft emerald spotlight. Then the wind faded and the aura was gone.

The sneer melted from Octavian’s face. The Romans rustled uneasily. Clearly, they had never actually seen a demonstration of power like that from anyone connected to Apollo. I was willing to bet they’d never had an experience with the Oracle. 

“It’s your decision,” Rachel said, as if nothing had happened. “I have no specific prophecy to offer you, but I can see glimpses of the future. I see the Athena Parthenos on Half-Blood Hill. I see her bringing it.” She pointed at Reyna. “Also, Ella has been murmuring lines from your Sibylline Books—“

“What?” Reyna interrupted. “The Sibylline Books were destroyed centuries ago.”

“I knew it!” Octavian pounded his fist into his palm. “That harpy they brought back from the quest— Ella. I knew she was spouting prophecies! Now I understand. She— she somehow memorized a copy of the Sibylline Books.”

Reyna shook her head in disbelief. “How is that possible?”

“We don’t know,” Rachel admitted. “But, yes, that seems to be the case. Ella has a perfect memory. She loves books. Somewhere, somehow, she read your Roman book of prophecies. Now she’s the only source for them.”

“Your friends lied,” Octavian said. “They told us the harpy was just muttering gibberish.” He paused and then laughed both triumphantly and maliciously. “That Lydia Castellan said it was a Greek adaptation of an Egyptian book!” He turned to the Romans. “Do you see that? Imagine how easily that Greek girl lied, how she crafted a statement that made us stray away from suspicion of the harpy! You trust those damned Greeks?”

I tensed, balling my fists up tightly. I felt like lunging forward, but I couldn’t. Both of the presences beside me tensed, but I could just barely sense one was much angrier than the other— the unidentifiable one. I smelled more burning from the side I estimated to be Jason— churning with electricity.

Octavian’s eyes were wild as he spoke. “They lied! And they stole her! They stole the harpy!”

Grover huffed indignantly. “Ella isn’t your property! She’s a free creature. Besides, she wants to be at Camp Half-Blood. She’s dating one of my friends, Tyson.”

“The Cyclops,” Reyna remembered. “A harpy dating a Cyclops...”

“That’s not relevant!” Octavian said. “The harpy has valuable Roman prophecies. If the Greeks won’t return her, we should take their Oracle hostage! Guards!”

Two centurions advanced, their weapons levelled. Grover brought his pipes to his lips, played a quick jig and their spears turned into Christmas trees. The guards dropped them in surprise, and I clapped, even if no one could hear me.

“Enough!” Reyna shouted. Everyone went silent. It was in that tone she clearly commanded respect, reminding everyone she was the one in power. 

“We’ve strayed from the point,” she said. “Rachel Dare, you’re telling me that Annabeth is in Tartarus, yet she’s found a way to send this message. She wants me to bring this statue from the ancient lands to your camp.”

Rachel nodded. “Only a Roman can return it and restore peace.”

“And why would the Romans want peace,” Reyna asked, “after your ship attacked our city?”

“You know why,” Rachel said. “To avoid this war. To reconcile the gods’ Greek and Roman sides.

We have to work together to defeat Gaea.” 

Octavian stepped forward to speak, but Reyna shot him a withering look.

“According to Percy Jackson,” Reyna said, “the battle with Gaea will be fought in the ancient lands. In Greece.”

“That’s where the giants are,” Rachel agreed. “Whatever magic, whatever ritual the giants are planning to wake the Earth Mother, I sense it will happen in Greece. But... well, our problems aren’t limited to the ancient lands. That’s why I brought Grover to talk to you.”

The satyr tugged his goatee. “Yeah... see, over the last few months, I’ve been talking to satyrs and nature spirits across the continent. They’re all saying the same thing. Gaea is stirring— I mean, she’s right on the edge of consciousness. She’s whispering in the minds of naiads, trying to turn them. She’s causing earthquakes, uprooting the dryads’ trees. Last week alone, she appeared in human form in a dozen different places, scaring the horns off some of my friends. In Colorado, a giant stone fist rose out of a mountain and swatted some Party Ponies like flies.” 

Reyna frowned. “Party Ponies?”

“Long story,” Rachel said. “The point is: Gaea will rise everywhere. She’s already stirring. No place will be safe from the battle. And we know that her first targets are going to be the demigod camps. She wants us destroyed.”

“Speculation,” Octavian said in a shrieking voice. “A distraction. The Greeks fear our attack. They’re trying to confuse us. It’s the Trojan Horse all over again!”

Reyna twisted the silver ring on her finger, one that bore a sword and torch symbols. I assumed it must be symbols of her mother, Bellona. “Marcus,” she said, “bring Scipio from the stables.”

“Reyna, no!” Octavian protested.

She faced Grover and Rachel. “I will do this for Annabeth and Lydia, for the hope of peace between our camps, but do not think I have forgotten the insults to Camp Jupiter. Your ship fired on our city. You declared war— not us. Now, leave.”

Grover stamped his hoof. “Percy would never—“ 

“Grover,” Rachel said, “we should go.” Her tone said: Before it’s too late.

After they had retreated back down the stairs, Octavian wheeled on Reyna. “Are you mad?”

“I am praetor of the legion,” Reyna said. “I judge this to be in the best interest of Rome.”

“To get yourself killed? To break our oldest laws and travel to the ancient lands? How will you even find their ship, assuming you survive the journey?”

“I will find them,” Reyna said. “If they are sailing for Greece, I know a place Jason will stop. To face the ghosts in the House of Hades, he will need an army. There is only one place where he can find that sort of help.”

I sure fucking hoped Jason knew what that was all about. 

“This is insanity,” Octavian muttered. “We’re already under attack. We must take the offensive! Those hairy dwarfs have been stealing our supplies, sabotaging our scouting parties— you know the Greeks sent them.”

“Perhaps,” Reyna said. “But you will not launch an attack without my orders. Continue scouting the enemy camp. Secure your positions. Gather all the allies you can, and if you catch those dwarfs you have my blessing to send them back to Tartarus. But do not attack Camp Half-Blood until I return.”

Octavian narrowed his eyes. “While you’re gone, the augur is the senior officer. I will be in charge.”

“I know.” Reyna didn’t sound happy about it. “But you have my orders. You all heard them.” She scanned the faces of the centurions, daring them to question her.

She stormed off, her purple cloak billowing and her dogs at her heels.

Once she was gone, Octavian turned to the centurions. “Gather all the senior officers. I want a meeting as soon as Reyna has left on her fool’s quest. There will be a few changes in the legion’s plans.”

One of the centurions opened his mouth to respond, but for some reason, the dream dissolved, and I was suddenly standing back on the actual building where Lit and I had our first date.

This time, however, I wasn’t feeling two presences— just one.

The winds were calm, and I stepped toward where I could feel an energy radiating through the air, toward the spot where he’d laid out a blanket for us to watch the stars.

Suddenly it was like my sinuses were bombarded again— like they’d been overriden when I drank from the Plegethon. Except, after a very short while, I didn’t feel pain or discomfort. I inhaled, and an earthy scent filled my nostrils... flowers, honey, mint.

Mint. The only two people I ever picked up the scent of mint from were Ethan and Lit.

“Lit?” I asked softy, staring into the empty air across from me. I felt his invisible form move toward me, and just for a second, I could feel his arms around me again.

Then it was gone. 


	71. Hopeless Becomes My Middle Name

**Lityerses’s POV**

_Summer 2010_

One minute, I moved forward and hugged the air in front of me in hopes it was her, the next I felt her body in my arms, and then it was gone.

When I woke up, I grabbed the nearest object (this time it was her favorite book) and threw it across the room. Almost immediately I got up and ran to get it. It’s a small thing, _The Stranger_ by Albert Camus, but she loves it. It’s a soft cover too, so I felt bad and dusted it off, fixing the part that got bent, before placing it back on her bookshelf.

I’m in her room, even now. I don’t know what day it is. Four days after they fell into Tartarus, Jason and Leo took me out for the first time since then. I got to see my old pals the Kerkopes. I got to tell them about how Hercules was still the biggest asshole ever, and they complied pretty easily to what we wanted when they realized I was part of the crew. Of course, that didn’t mean it got easier from there. 

Jason’s been having to force me to shower, because I forget. Piper and Hazel are making Frank buckle me into a seat so they can force feed me, because I don’t often find I want to eat. Hazel’s the most terrified, because I know she can sense how often I dance with death with my excessive workouts and lack of nutrition. But somehow they’ve managed to keep me going.

I just can’t do it by myself.

How is it, I get damned, and after years of punishment, I finally turn my life around, find a girl I love, and then suddenly she gets ripped away from me? If this is supposed to be more punishment for me, why did Lydia have to get dragged into it?

I’d been slowly turning into a broken, insane man. That’s the only way I can think to describe it. I can’t feel at peace without Lydia. I just can’t.

I haven’t been sleeping well. To be honest, last night is the first night I’ve been able to sleep soundly enough to dream. I curl myself up in Lydia’s bed, which has become our bed, and try and pretend she’s there. But that delusion can’t last long, because I always remember she isn’t there, and just get furious.

How is that fair? For such a beautiful, talented, and just downright incredible girl that’s already suffered enough to be thrown into Tartarus? How the fuck is that justice? She doesn’t deserve that shit! 

I wish I could say my knuckles weren’t bloody and skinned raw from how often I snarl that thought at the walls, leaving dents the size of a human fist all over her room, which she won’t appreciate, but frankly I can’t help myself. If I don’t punch the wall, I’ll end up cracking someone’s skull. 

Most nights, I stay up reading one of her books just for the sake of seeing her little annotations on the side. Sometimes they’re serious: ‘ _Lots of light imagery... resurrection? Biblical allusion? Reference to Bible... need to find verse... concentrate on this line...’_ and other times they’re funny: ‘ _LMAO WHAT KIND OF SHIT IS THIS? Okay, author, that’s just... wow._ ’ She had a lot of funny things to say about _The English Patient_ by Michael Ondaatje, and even more about _The Collector_ by John Fowles, which she annotated for similarities to a Criminal Minds episode. In some books she goes as far as to point out medical terminology errors and corrects them. It’s the cutest thing ever.

Other nights, I stay up throwing knives. My throws are still off— the knives veer off to the side and it infuriates me more, and soon the walls are suffering for my lack of control over my emotions as well as the fact I just can’t fucking throw straight. Sometimes, the blades hit, but not on the target, which leaves the wood planks that fall victim to its blade crooked and with splinters. Other times, the handle slams against the wall, and from how hard I’ve been throwing them, leaves a dent smaller than the ones formed by my fists. Eventually those pile up too. At this point, my hands can hardly handle wrapping themselves around the handle, what with my knuckles burning and callouses building up on my palm. But like the punching, it’s the only way to stop me from hurting anyone, and practicing at the same time. 

At this point though, I’ll need to start re-learning how to patch a wall. As much as my main focus is Lydia coming back to me knowing how to throw knives, I also want her to come back to a tidy room, not one occupied by someone who’s on the brink of a psychotic break. 

That is... if she gets back.

_“LYDIA!" I yelled, laying down by the ledge and reaching my arm down to grip her elbow. She was hanging beneath me, Percy and Annabeth hanging off of her._

_Time seemed to slow down as my senses were heightened. Everything had changed in a split second, and now my girlfriend was hanging off a pit to Tartarus, and I was her only hope._

_The pit shook furiously, and Lydia let out a cry of pain. I saw Percy slipping further from her grasp, and I yanked hard at her arm. “Fuck— GODSDAMNIT IT PERCY STOP MOVING!” Lydia begged._

_"PERCY!" I yelled, straining to pull all three of them up, my teeth gritted painfully. "Hold onto Lydia! Do NOT let go— AND STAY STILL!”_

_"Lit, let us go," Annabeth said, her voice shaking. "You can't pull us up."_

_I had respect for Annabeth Chase, but I wasn’t about to give up. That was out of the question._

_Lydia was looking at me, her eyes barely open as she sobbed, shaking her head over and over. I could tell from how her arm was trembling against mine that it hurt her very badly. “Lit— Lit— my arm— I can’t— please I need to let go or I won’t be able to fix— the damage—“ she screamed again, squeezing her eyes shut. The very sight of her in pain was making my heart break. “LET GO! I need to save my arm— I can’t do surgery if I fuck it up— let go...”_

_I understood her concerns, but right now, she could die if I didn’t haul her up. Tartarus was no place for a demigod, no matter what Nico had said. I was desperate, and I didn’t care if her arm was injured. As long as she was alive, we would all do anything to heal her._

_"Please, hold ON!" I begged. "Please, Lydia... hold on.... come on, I almost got it—“_

_I couldn’t give up, I couldn’t. I couldn’t fail her, couldn’t fail them. If I failed her, I would lose her, and she would never respect me again. I simply couldn’t afford to lose the love of my life— I couldn’t._

_"Lydia," Percy groaned, making her look down at him, sweat dripping down from her face to his, "let go of him."_

_"No, Lydia, don't!" I snapped, groaning loudly as I tried desperately to pull her slightly higher. Lydia cried out even louder than before, her arm going limp against mine for a split second. I was so angry that Percy would even recommend for her to give up, to let go. “LIT LET GO OF ME!” Lydia sobbed. “My arm— I can’t— PLEASE!”_

_"Nico!" Percy yelled at the top of his lungs to be heard over Lydia’s screams. "The other side, Nico! We'll see you there, understand? Lead them all there! Promise me, Nico!"_

_I don’t know what Nico did, but it seemed to make Percy relax. I made another desperate attempt to pull Lydia up, but she just shook her head again, weaker this time._

_"I-I will,” I heard Nico respond, and I groaned as I saw Lydia relaxing her face like she was ready to give in._

_From below, I heard a voice laugh in the darkness. "Sacrifices... beautiful sacrifices to wake the goddess..."_

_Gods, if I could just kill that creature that had begun pulling them down in the first place._

_"Lydia, let go of him," Percy gasped, his eyes shut. "It'll be the three of us, like old times. They'll meet us on the other side."_

_"Shut up, Jackson!" I roared. He couldn’t just convince her like this, it wasn’t how it was supposed to end. "Lydia—"_

_"I'm sorry," she sobbed, her arm finally beginning to wiggle out of my hold. "I'm sorry. I can’t— I can’t.... We'll meet you there. Help them..."_

_"Lydia!" I yelled desperately. “LYDIA! LYDIA— NO!”_

_"I love you," she sobbed as she fully shook her hand from my grasp. My eyes widened, and I roared angrily as Lydia let her body fall down into the chasm._

_Time seemed to stop completely. The weight on my arm was released, and I hung with half my body over the chasm, my arm hanging into the pit. Between my fingers I could see as Lydia fell, her face contorted in pain, her arm reaching up, as if she hadn’t fully wanted to let go. It took me a few solid seconds to register the fact that her figure disappeared into the darkness, and suddenly I could no longer see her. Behind my hand was an infinite wall of darkness, and I had just lost Lydia._

_I distinctly remember that Jason had to fly down and take me up to the Argo II. I remember I was paralyzed for a second, and I couldn’t hear anything but buzzing. I saw people running around in front of my eyes but I wasn’t registering what they were doing or whether they needed my help._

_It wasn’t until we were clear of the underground and back up in the sky that the buzzing stopped, and I realized I was crying, and my body had gone stiff. My own hands had grasped each other’s arms, and I’d dug my fingernails in so hard to stop myself from moving that I’d succeeded in bursting open my own skin._

_“Lit?” Piper’s gentle voice came from in front of me, but by them I’d closed my eyes. She would be trying to charmspeak me soon. “Lit, why don’t you come down with us...”_

_“No,” I choked, shaking my head. Then I let out an anguished noise and let my body slump onto the floor, bringing my legs to my chest. “No— no— NO!”_

_Piper jumped back as I got up and sprinted to the edge. I would’ve toppled right off if Jason, Leo, Frank, and Coach Hedge hadn’t altogether pulled me back to crash onto the deck._

_“LYDIA!” I bellowed, thrashing as they tried to hold down my arms and stop me from hitting them. “LYDIA! NO— NO! SHE CAN’T BE GONE! GET OFF ME— GET THE FUCK OFF ME!”_

_“Calm your shit or I’m knocking you out with my bat!” Coach Hedge snapped._

_“Coach, don’t threaten him!” Piper whimpered. I couldn’t see her amidst the faces of panicked teenagers around me (and a satyr) but I knew she was crying. “Please— let him go!”_

_“If we let him go, he’ll throw himself off or hurt himself or us, Piper!” Leo said as he brought some handcuffs out of his toolbelt._

_“I AM NOT A CRIMINAL!” I roared. “DON’T YOU FUCKING CUFF ME! I’M NOT GOING TO HURT YOU, IDIOTS!”_

_“But you could hurt yourself and we don’t want that either,” Frank said sternly as he hoisted me up enough for Leo to cuff my hands in front of me. I growled and tried to kick them._

_“You do that again and we’ll have to tie your legs too,” Jason warned._

_“THEN LET ME GO!” I was sobbing now, my tears staining the floor as my anguished, desperate cries echoed throughout the space, the small, claustrophia inducing space empty of Lydia and filled with demigods I had never been vulnerable with, a group of demigods that didn’t understand me, didn’t know me as well as my girlfriend did. But it no longer mattered— the rest of me didn’t care anymore._ _I couldn’t think. I wanted out, I wanted Lydia, I just wanted to know what the hell had happened and why._

_“Lit, please, you’re not making this easy—“_

_“I NEED LYDIA!”_

_“Lit calm down!” It was a more unfamiliar voice— the one I recognized to be Nico, who I’d just met not even an hour ago. “She’s alive. I can sense that much, please—“_

_“SHE SHOULDN’T HAVE FALLEN, YOU BASTARDS!” I snapped as I aimed a kick at Leo. Leo dodged and stomped his foot onto my ankle, which made me actually let out a grunt of pain._

_“Dude, you’re really not getting on my good side right now,” he said, his voice a little shaky. “You need to be calm right now. Seriously. You’re going to wreck my ship.”_

_I slumped back, allowing myself to relax. I could feel my throat throbbing with my sobs, making me struggle to breathe. Maybe I didn’t even deserve to breathe anyway, since I could ‘t save Lydia._

_“Lit.” Piper and Hazel approached me as soon as they’d managed to hoist me up and carry me to the dining hall, where they strapped me into a chair and set a glass of water in front of me. “Lit, we’re going to talk about this, as a team,” Piper said soothingly. “We need you to listen so we can come up with a plan to save Lydia, Percy, and Annabeth, okay?”_

_“I know how you feel,” Hazel said, sitting beside me. I could tell Frank was nervous about this as he stood behind her, because he thought I might lash out. But no, I’d never hurt her, especially not her. It’s not just because she’s a woman. She’s essentially fourteen and I’m essentially twenty two, if you don’t count the fact both of us died before._

_“I understand that despair,” Hazel whispered as she leaned closer to me. “You and I, we both died. And it wasn’t painless. It was full of knowing we were done for, that that was it. And both of us died feeling we did something terribly wrong, didn’t we?”_

_I nodded slowly. Never before had I imagined Hazel to feel guilt like this, but then I remembered she clearly did— she’d almost helped Gaea rise before._

_“We both came back, though,” she continued. “We both found love. That means something, Lit. They’re not going to take them away from us. Lydia is alive, like Nico said. And my brother, he came out of Tartarus alive by himself. Lydia is so strong. I don’t know her as well as others here do, but Nico has made it clear since I met Lydia that she is the strongest demigod he’s ever met— physically and emotionally. She’s been through some... bad stuff... but... she always came back from it. Emotionally she didn’t let herself go off edge. She is a survivor, Lit. She’s going to come back. And right now, we just need you to be calm.”_

_She paused and half smiled. “I understand the pain of losing someone you love. The feeling of failing them. I lost my mother, and there were many years I spent feeling that I failed her, I couldn’t save her. You feel that way, don’t you, because you didn’t manage to pull her up?”_

_I nodded, gulping so hard my throat burned._

_“But you know what? That wasn’t your fault, just how it wasn’t my fault my mother died. I have come to terms with that. I have overcome that guilty feeling. I know it feels like there is nothing you can do... but there is. Help us get to the other side. Stay alert for Lydia, ready to get any clue that can help us save her— save all of them. Can you do that for her?”_

_I nodded again, and almost immediately my face began to scrunch up again. I didn’t want to cry, I’d feel weak if I cried, but I felt I needed to cry._

_“Lit.” Piper came closer and put her hand on my shoulder. “We will get to them. Just relax. You won’t help her by hurting yourself. Please?”_

_As soon as I felt a tear slip down my cheek, both Piper and Hazel wrapped me in their embrace._

Even remembering that day, I feel pain. Despair. Hazel and Piper have been angels during this time, but it’s not enough to not have Lydia here by my side.

I wish to the gods I had done something different. I wish I could have jumped after her.

I haven’t been able to rid myself of the guilt, the fury, the pain, the need to break something, to rip apart anyone that stood between Lydia and I. If I had to tear down the gates of Olympus to make sure she got out alive, I would do it.

When I was finally able to calm down enough to remember I had to stick to my schedule, I made the bed hastily and slipped into the bathroom, doing my best to not focus on the scars on my face. Usually I could see past them, but now I couldn’t.

How could I be this disfigured, and still get someone as brilliant and gorgeous as Lydia to fall in love with me? And how could I fail her?

I was a shit boyfriend. 

Once I finished brushing my teeth, I slumped on the floor, trying to rub my eyes before I called Zoe. I let the water run in the sink for a short while, then flipped a drachma into it, hoping I didn’t look too exhausted. 

It was almost funny how quickly Zoe accepted the Iris messages. I guessed she hasn’t found a hobby yet, because everytime I Iris messaged her, no matter what time it is, she’s in her cabin.

“Oh come on, didn’t you say yesterday you had a volleyball game?” I asked tiredly.

“No, that’s tomorrow,” Zoe said calmly as she sat on her bunk to look at me. “Plus, I knew you were going to call.”

“How did you know that?”

“Because Travis Stoll came to tell me yesterday that they got a note from Lydia and Annabeth. From Tartarus.”

“I found that out in my dream... why did Travis tell you?”

“Because it was written there for Travis or Connor to contact you and tell you Lydia loved you. But he barely told me yesterday because Connor got the note and delivered it to Rachel immediately before telling Travis.”

“Hmm. Wait, which one of Lydia’s brother is the one you have a thing for?”

“Travis, the older one.”

“Alright,” I said, leaning back against the wall. It was hard to believe that my sister was dating. She never had when we’d been alive before thanks to my father turning her to gold and whatnot, but she seemed to have adjusted well enough now. I wanted to get overprotective, but I was in no mood, and despite the fact Travis Stoll can be a little shit sometimes, he’s Lydia’s brother and he also came in clutch to help me get his sister to ‘conveniently’ not be around when I was planning little surprises.

“So... how are you feeling today?” Zoe asked. “We miss you here. Our half siblings keep wanting to see you. They got attached quickly, as you know.”

I nodded, but I wasn’t concentrated on answering. Lydia loved me. She loved me, and she had told me before she dropped down into the pit.

“Damn it,” was all I said as I kicked my leg against the bathtub. “Damn it— DAMN IT!” I kicked harder, and I noticed Zoe flinched.

“Lityerses, you stop that now,” she said sternly.

“Gods, you sound like mom,” I grunted.

“Well I always did see her more often than you, I was able to imitate her well.”

“I had a dream last night,” I murmured once she sat back up to listen. “The Romans were near Camp. Jason watched it so I’ll leave him to explain it to the others. But... Lydia was there. I sensed her. She got all tense when they insulted her, and well... she’s just Lydia. I could tell it was her. Zoe... I have a really bad feeling. She’s hurt, she’s injured— Tartarus is killing her, Zoe. Every night I feel her less and less, even when I put her favorite things next to me in her bed. I just— I can’t feel her anymore. Like she’s slipping away.”

“Lit,” Zoe said gently. “I’m sure she will be okay. She probably— realistically— is suffering... but she’s got Percy and Annabeth.”

“She’s in there alone regardless of their presence!” I said, putting my hands over my face. “Damn it! I should have jumped in after her! She’s— she’s fucking third wheeling them, and they probably are more focused on each other than her! She’s always been so independent but— but what if that’s not what she NEEDS? I should have jumped!”

“What guarantees that it would have gone well if you did?” Zoe said. “Lit you told me the other day that the Kerkopes complied because of you being there. If you weren’t there, they wouldn’t have gone to terrorize the Romans. Plus, you couldn’t survive Tartarus. Children of Wisdom, the Sea, a Thief— the three of them’s odds are higher. Demeter... we represent life. I’ve been reading and... you’d be at your weakest there. Your mind would be most fragile. And it’s not to call you weak, Lit, but you’d be drained of the life-bringing powers you have down there. Would you have even been of help to Lydia, or would she be in agony trying to keep you alive? It’s no secret some demigods are weaker in Tartarus than others. Nico, a child of the Underworld... it’s not just by chance that he survived by himself. He is just stronger there. If... if there was a demigod child of Nyx, they’d be strong alone in Tartarus too. Children of Demeter, Aphrodite, Iris... probably Apollo too... representing all the good things, the happy things, life and beauty and nature and light... they’d be weakest.”

I did take into consideration what she said. My sister is brilliant, that much I know. I hate that I didn’t pay her enough attention before I died the first time, because I was so busy swordfighting. “I just... I can’t—“

“She’s going to come back to you, Lit,” Zoe promised. “She loves you. She’s been in love with you. And although you quarreled and she took a long time to say it because she was terrified of losing you— she loves you. And she’s so strong... she’s survived so much and emotionally overcame pain that... that most people wouldn’t. She’s going to make it back, okay?”

A knock on my door let me know my time was up. “Thanks Zoe,” I said softly, offering her a half smile. “I’ll message you later.”

I cut my hand through the Iris message and my sister’s image dissolved.

It appears Jason didn’t mind letting himself in. “Lit, get dressed,” he said as he poked his head into the bathroom. “We have a mission planned but Nico wanted me to get you to hear the last bits of our discussion.”

At this point, he didn’t need to tell me twice. I got up and went to get dressed, not concerned that Jason was watching me. He does that to make sure I’m actually being productive and getting ready instead of ruffling my hair and calling it a day.

Once I slipped into the breakfast hall and got settled with a plate of pancakes about as big as a sixth of Lydia’s textbooks stacked together (that’s really tall), I was given a run through of the item they want to focus on: the scepter of Diocletian.

“What’s the legend on that?” I asked as I downed my pancakes without much trouble.

Nico turned to his sister before looking back at me. “Supposedly Diocletian’s sceptre could summon the ghosts of the Roman legions, any of them who worshipped the old gods.”

Leo whistled. “Okay, now I’m interested. No wonder we had to wait for Lit to be here to talk about that. It would be nice to have a booty-kicking army of pagan zombies on our side when we enter the House of Hades.” 

“Not sure I would’ve put it that way,” Jason muttered, “but yeah.”

“We don’t have much time,” Frank warned. “It’s already July ninth.”

Ah, so that’s what day it was. Eight days after Lydia fell into Tartarus.

“We have to get to Epirus, close the Doors of Death—“ 

“Which are guarded,” Hazel murmured, “by a smoky giant and a sorceress who wants...” She hesitated. “Well, I’m not sure. But according to Pluto, she plans to “rebuild her domain”. Whatever that means, it’s bad enough that my dad felt like warning me personally.” 

Frank grunted. “And, if we survive all that, we still have to find out where the giants are waking Gaea and get there before the first of August. Besides, the longer Percy, Annabeth, and Lydia are in Tartarus—“ 

“I know,” Jason said, looking sideways at me. “We won’t take long in Split. But looking for the sceptre is worth a try. While we’re at the palace, I can leave a message for Reyna, letting her know the route we’re taking for Epirus.” 

Nico nodded. “The sceptre of Diocletian could make a huge difference. You’ll need my help.” 

Piper squeezed Jason’s hand. “Hey, sounds fun. I’ll go, too.”

Nico shook his head. “You can’t, Piper. It should only be Jason and me, though I think I want Lit to accompany us... I have a feeling about it. Diocletian was said to have a soft spot for children of Demeter, in the Roman case: Ceres. Yes... Diocletian’s ghost might appear for a son of Jupiter, and a son of Ceres... but any other demigods would most likely... ah, spook him. And I’m the only one who can talk to his spirit. Even Hazel won’t be able to do that.”

Nico’s eyes held a gleam of challenge. He seemed curious as to whether or not Jason and I would protest, which I don’t know why we would.

The ship’s bell sounded. Festus creaked and whirred over the loudspeaker.

“We’ve arrived,” Leo announced. “Time to Split.”

Frank groaned. “Can we leave Valdez in Croatia?”

I wanted to laugh but I didn’t even have the strength.

Jason stood. “Frank, you’re in charge of defending the ship. Leo, you’ve got repairs to do. The rest of you, help out wherever you can. Nico, Lit, and I... We have a ghost to find.”


	72. The Wind Keeps Being Nosy

**Lityerses’s POV**

_Summer 2010_

Leo had anchored the Argo II in the bay along with six or seven cruise ships. As usual, the mortals didn’t pay the trireme any attention, but, just to be safe, Jason, Nico, and I hopped on a skiff from one of the tourist boats so we would look like part of the crowd when we came ashore, which was fun because it made me feel normal.

Except that quickly backfired because I remembered nothing is normal at the moment. 

At first glance, Split seemed like a cool place. Curving around the harbour was a long esplanade lined with palm trees. At the sidewalk cafés, European teenagers were hanging out, speaking a dozen different languages and enjoying the sunny afternoon. The air smelled of grilled meat and fresh-cut flowers.

Beyond the main boulevard, the city was a hodgepodge of mediaeval castle towers, Roman walls, limestone town houses with red-tiled roofs and modern office buildings all crammed together. In the distance, grey-green hills marched towards a mountain ridge, which made me a little nervous. I kept glancing at the rocky escarpment, expecting the face of Gaea to appear in its shadows.

If she did, I wouldn’t hesitate to slice through her. 

It made my chest throb in pain just thinking that in another reality, I might have been able to bring Lydia here just to tour. Maybe in that reality it would be our honeymoon. Or an anniversary, without our kids.

Kids. I’m going psycho. I don’t even know if I can fully imagine Lydia and I as parents. I feel I’d lose my patience. She’d be too nice and try and ‘chill’ with them. Realistically, we probably would let them have ice cream for dinner as long as we could join them. Not to say we’d be terrible parents but... we might be way too lenient. 

I shook the thought out of my head. As we were wandering along an esplanade, Jason tensed beside me, and I looked up. A guy with wings was very casually buying an ice-cream bar from a street cart. The vendor lady looked bored as she counted the guy’s change. Tourists navigated around the angel’s huge wings without a second glance.

Jason nudged Nico, who hadn’t seemed to be paying attention. “Are you seeing this?”

“Yeah,” Nico agreed. “Maybe we should buy some ice cream.”

“Wait,” Jason said. “Lit, you knew Boreas, right? What if that’s one of the North Wind’s minions?”

“Trust me, it’s not,” I replied, following Nico towards the street cart. “Look at his side— the same jagged bronze sword, but his clothes don’t match. The Boreads don’t wear red tank tops, huaraches, and Bermuda shorts. Plus, his wings are sunny colored... I don’t really know how to describe it. He’s tan and has dark, curly hair. Nothing like the Boreads.”

“He’s not a returned spirit either,” Nico murmured. “Or a creature of the Underworld.”

“No,” Jason agreed, nodding to me. “I doubt they would eat chocolate-covered ice-cream bars.”

“So what is he?” Nico wondered.

“Another type of wind god, perhaps,” I murmured as we got about thirty feet away from him. Suddenly, he turned and looked right at us. I froze, but he smiled and gestured over his shoulder with his ice-cream bar and dissolved into the air.

“Okay, where did he go?” I muttered, crossing my arms.

“I can’t see him,” Jason said, “but I can feel him. I feel this... warm wisp of wind.” Then he looked around, and seemed to decide on something. His eyes darted around, almost spiraling down the sidewalk ahead. I noticed some postcards fly up into the air around the carousels located in front of the tourist shop. Jason seemed to know exactly where the angel guy was going, because his gaze seemed to follow something Nico and I couldn’t see. 

“He’s headed towards the end of the promenade,” Jason mumbled. I looked, and noticed that the end of the promenade was where a big fortress-like structure loomed. “I’m betting that’s the palace. Come on.”

Let me pause here to say I had never been inside Diocletian’s Palace— I had just seen it in passing. But even so, it was still quite impressive. The outer wall was only a pink granite shell, with crumbling columns and arched windows open to the sky, but it was mostly intact, a quarter mile long and seventy or eighty feet tall, dwarfing the modern shops and houses that huddled beneath it. I recall when it was a bit newer, there were guards and Roman eagles all around it, though I was never able to get close enough, for obvious reasons.

The wind angel— or whatever he was— was still out of Nico and I’s sight, but Jason seemed pretty confident that he could see him. As we continued hurriedly, I saw that several blocks away, tourists were lined up to buy tickets. 

“I don’t think we’ll catch him if we have to go through that,” I huffed as we started to jog. 

“Well we have to catch him,” Jason responded. “Now, both of you, hold on.”

“What—?” 

Nico’s question was left unanswered. Jason grabbed both of us by the shirts and lifted us into the air.

Okay, I had yet to fly with Jason, and now I wish I had never had to experience that, because I basically just peed myself without actually peeing. 

Nico made a muffled sound of protest on the other side of Jason as we soared over the walls and into a courtyard where more tourists were milling around, taking pictures. 

A little kid did a double take when we landed, and I knew for a fact he wasn’t convinced we just materialized there. Then his eyes glazed over after a few seconds, and he shook his head, like he was dismissing a juice-box-induced hallucination. No one else paid us any attention, which I was grateful for.

“Next time, let us know at least a full minute beforehand that we’re going to fly,” I muttered as we looked around. I did my best to fix my hair, though I don’t know if it was actually fixed. Usually Lydia took care of tucking stray strands under other curls.

There I go thinking about Lydia again. I could have one day brought her here to Diocletian’s Palace. She would have loved to see the line of columns that held up weathered grey arches. I could see the marble building before us had rows of tall windows— I’m sure she would have cracked a joke at that.

I’m not sure I’ll ever get to hear her comment on it now. 

“The peristyle,” Nico said, his voice a bit shaky. “This was the entrance to Diocletian’s private residence.” He then scowled at Jason. “I agree with Lit, but in general, I don’t like being touched. Don’t ever grab me again.”

Jason’s shoulder blades tensed visibly. I could have sword I heard the undertone of a threat, like: unless you want to get a Stygian sword up your nose, you will never place your hands on me again. 

“Uh, okay. Sorry,” Jason said quickly, looking at me as if he expected backup. “How do you know what this place is called?”

Nico scanned the atrium. He focused on some steps in the far corner, leading down.

“I’ve been here before.” His eyes were as dark as his blade. “With my mother and Bianca. A weekend trip from Venice. I was maybe... six?”

“That was when... the 1930s?” I asked uncertainly. I still hadn’t learned all the details about Nico. 

‘’Thirty-eight or so,” Nico said absently. “Why do you care?”

“I care because we live on the same ship. Besides, I was just wondering, no one said you had to answer,” I murmured, which made Nico roll his eyes, and mutter something under his breath. I was about to ask what he said, when he turned to Jason. “Do you see that winged guy anywhere?”

“No,” Jason said. He seemed to be lost in thought, like he too was still trying to wrap his mind around Nico’s past.

I could tell he was the team member that always tried to get along with everyone else. He probably wondered why Nico just didn’t seem to like either of us.

“Look, Nico, we just... we can’t imagine how weird that must be, coming from another time,” Jason said after awhile, looking at me. I agreed, but Nico seemed dissatisfied. 

“No, you can’t.” Nico stared at the stone floor. He then took a deep breath, and his expression softened ever so slightly. “Look... I don’t like talking about it. Honestly, I think Hazel has it worse. She remembers more about when she was young. She had to come back from the dead and adjust to the modern world. Me... me and Bianca, we were stuck at the Lotus Hotel. Time passed so quickly. In a weird way, that made the transition easier.”

“Percy told me about that place,” Jason said. “Seventy years, but it only felt like a month?”

Nico clenched his fist until his fingers turned white. “Yeah. I’m sure Percy told you all about me.” His voice was heavy with bitterness— more than I could understand. I knew that Nico had

blamed Percy and Lydia for getting his sister Bianca killed, but they’d supposedly got past that, at least according to Lydia. She had told me how guilty she’d felt, because she and Percy had snuck onto the quest to help save Annabeth (and Artemis) but they hadn’t been able to save Bianca.

Still, it made no sense. Once, I heard Piper tell Jason that Nico supposedly had a crush on Annabeth. Lydia denied it, but now it made me wonder. Why would he offer to help lead us to Epirus if he hated Lydia and especially Percy so much?

Nico’s eyes swept the windows above us, as if he had decided the conversation was over. “Roman dead are everywhere here... Lares. Lemures. They’re watching. They’re angry.”

“At us?” Jason’s hand went to his sword, and I followed suit. 

“At everything.” Nico pointed to a small stone building on the west end of the courtyard. “That used to be a temple to Jupiter. The Christians changed it to a baptistery. The Roman ghosts don’t like that.”

“I bet they wouldn’t like it,” I mumbled as I stared into the dark doorway. It was hard to imagine that thousands of years ago, people had gone down there to worship Jupiter. I barely coped with the fact my mother was a Greek goddess, and that’s considering I’ve seen her really often, though not in the past months. To think of Roman gods...

“And over there...” Nico pointed east to a hexagonal building ringed with freestanding columns. “That was the mausoleum of the emperor.”

“But his tomb isn’t there any more,” Jason guessed.

“Not for centuries,” Nico said. “When the empire collapsed, the building was turned into a Christian cathedral.”

“Wait a minute,” I said quietly. “So if Diocletian’s ghost just so happens to be here, he’ll probably be pissed, right?”

Nico’s expression let me know I was probably right. 

The wind rustled, pushing leaves and food wrappers across the peristyle. I waved my hand over some of the leaves, and they somersaulted on the floor. For a moment, it brought a smile to my face, and I felt like maybe, just maybe, this would all go well and I’d see Lydia soon enough.

That’s when Jason moved.

“That way.” Jason pointed. “The winged guy. Where do you think those stairs lead?”

Nico drew his sword. His smile was even more unsettling than his scowl. “Underground,” he said.

“My favourite place.”

Jason and I shared a look. Underground was not Jason and I’s favourite place. Ever since our trip beneath Rome with Piper, Percy, and Lydia, fighting those twin giants in the hypogeum under the Colosseum, I couldn’t get over how unsettling underground was.

That just made me remember Lydia getting stabbed. And the fact that right after that, Lydia plummeted into Tartarus.

It didn’t help that on our way underground, Nico’s presence simply wasn’t reassuring. His Stygian iron blade seemed to make the shadows even gloomier, as if the infernal metal were drawing the light and heat out of the air.

We crept through a vast cellar with thick support columns holding up a vaulted ceiling. The limestone blocks were so old they had fused together from centuries of moisture, making the place look almost like a naturally formed cave.

None of the tourists had ventured down here. Obviously, they were smarter than us demigods, or maybe just more fortunate that they didn’t necessarily have to do this at all.

Jason drew his gladius, and I extracted my sword, just as extra precaution. We made our way under the low archways, our steps echoing on the stone floor. Barred windows lined the top of one wall, facing the street level, but that just made the cellar feel more claustrophobic, which I didn’t like. The shafts of sunlight looked like slanted prison bars, swirling with ancient dust. See, I enjoyed the feeling of open air and seeing flowers. I wouldn’t admit it to anyone but Lydia, but I sort of like being able to just randomly use my powers, and here everything felt dead.

At one point, Jason paused his progress to go leave a small slip of paper near a marble bust of Diocletian who had some weird limestone eyes.

I was just about to take a step forward, when a voice called out: “Hello!”

Next thing, Jason had suddenly sliced off the emperor’s head. The bust toppled and shattered against the floor, making Nico frown. 

“That wasn’t very nice,” said the voice behind us.

I turned slowly, only to behold the winged man from the ice-cream stand was leaning against a nearby column, casually tossing a small bronze hoop in the air. At his feet sat a wicker picnic basket full of fruit. “I mean,” the man said, “what did Diocletian ever do to you?”

The air swirled around our feet. The shards of marble gathered into a miniature tornado, spiraled back to the pedestal and reassembled into a complete bust, the note Jason left still tucked underneath. 

“Uh—“ Jason lowered his sword. “It was an accident. You startled me.”

The winged dude chuckled. “Jason Grace, the West Wind has been called many things... warm, gentle, life-giving and devilishly handsome. But I have never been called startling. I leave that crass behaviour to my gusty brethren in the north.”

Nico inched backwards. “The West Wind? You mean you’re—“

“Zephyros,” I realized immediately. “God of the West Wind.”

Zephyros smiled and bowed, obviously pleased to be recognized. “You can call me by my Roman name, Favonius, or Zephyros, if you’re Greek. I’m not hung up about it.”

Nico certainly looked pretty hung up about it. “Why aren’t your Greek and Roman sides in conflict, like the other gods?”

“Oh, I have the occasional headache.” Zephyros shrugged. “Some mornings I’ll wake up in a Greek chiton when I’m sure I went to sleep in my SPQR pyjamas. But mostly the war doesn’t bother me. I’m a minor god, you know— never really been much in the limelight. The to-and-fro battles among you demigods don’t affect me as greatly.”

“So...” I wasn’t quite sure whether to sheathe my sword yet. “What are you doing here?”

“Several things!” Zephyros said. “Hanging out with my basket of fruit. I always carry a basket of fruit. Would you like a pear?”

“No thanks.”

“Let’s see... earlier I was eating ice cream. Right now I’m tossing this quoit ring.” Zephyros spun the bronze hoop on his index finger.

I had no idea what a quoit was, but I tried to stay focused, and it seemed Jason did too. “He means why did you appear to us?” He asked. “Why did you lead us to this cellar?” 

“Oh!” Zephyros nodded. “The sarcophagus of Diocletian. Yes. This was its final resting place. The Christians moved it out of the mausoleum. Then some barbarians destroyed the coffin. I just wanted to show you—“ he spread his hands sadly— “that what you’re looking for isn’t here. My master has taken it.”

“Your master?” I said immediately. I had a brief flashback of the floating palace above Pike’s Peak in Colorado, where we’d visited (and barely survived) the studio of a crazy weatherman who claimed he was the god of all the winds. I vividly remembered how much Lydia and I had flirted back and forth. “Is your master Aeolus?”

“That airhead?” Zephyros snorted. “No, of course not.”

“He means Eros.” Nico’s voice turned edgy. “Cupid, in Latin.” 

Zephyros smiled. “Very good, Nico di Angelo. I’m glad to see you again, by the way. It’s been a long time.”

Nico knitted his eyebrows. “I’ve never met you.”

“You’ve never seen me,” the god corrected. “But I’ve been watching you. When you came here as a small boy, and several times since. I knew eventually you would return to look upon my master’s face.”

Nico turned even paler than usual. His eyes darted around the cavernous room as if he was starting to feel trapped.

“Nico?” Jason asked. “What’s he talking about?”

“I don’t know. Nothing,” answered Nico dismissively.

“Nothing?” Zephyros cried. “The one you care for most... plunged into Tartarus, and still you will not allow the truth?”

Okay, that was awkward. I could tell both Jason and I felt incredibly weird now— like we were eavesdropping. Was Piper right, and was Lydia wrong? No offense to Piper, but if Lydia doubted Nico had a crush on Annabeth, I would think she was right. 

_The one you care for most._

Well fuck, the one I care for most is in Tartarus too. 

“We’ve only come for Diocletian’s sceptre,” Nico said, clearly anxious to change the subject. “Where is it?”

“Ah...” Zephyros nodded sadly. “You thought it would be as easy as facing Diocletian’s ghost? I’m afraid not, Nico. Your trials will be much more difficult. You know, long before this was Diocletian’s Palace, it was the gateway to my master’s court. I’ve dwelt here for aeons, bringing those who sought love into the presence of Cupid.”

I definitely didn’t like the mention of difficult trials. I didn’t trust this weird god with the hoop and the wings and the basket of fruit. 

“Like Psyche, Cupid’s wife,” Jason murmured. “You carried her to his palace.” 

Zephyros’s eyes twinkled. “Very good, Jason Grace. From this exact spot, I carried Psyche on the winds and brought her to the chambers of my master. In fact, that is why Diocletian built his palace here. This place has always been graced by the gentle West Wind.” He spread his arms. “It is a spot of tranquillity and love in a turbulent world. When Diocletian’s Palace was ransacked—“

“You took the sceptre,” Jason guessed.

“For safekeeping,” Zephyros agreed. “It is one of Cupid’s many treasures, a reminder of better times. If you want it...” Zephyros turned to Nico. “You must face the god of love.”

Nico stared at the sunlight coming through the windows, as if wishing he could escape through those narrow openings. 

I wasn’t exactly sure what Zephyros wanted, but if facing the god of love meant forcing Nico into some sort of confession about which girl he liked, that didn’t seem so bad. Hell, I would take his place. The only woman I’d ever actually loved was Lydia. 

“Nico, you can do this,” I said quietly. “It might be embarrassing, but it’s for the sceptre.”

Nico didn’t look convinced. In fact he looked like he was going to be sick. But he squared his shoulders and nodded, and for a moment his eyes seemed to tell a different story. I remembered Lydia mentioning something to me right after we saved Nico from Otis and Ephialtes. He had looked at her in a way he never looked at her before. Something about the way he gazed at me... it felt weird. “You’re right,” he said quietly. “I— I’m not afraid of a love god.” 

Zephyros beamed. “Excellent! Would you like a snack before you go?” He plucked a green apple from his basket and frowned at it. “Oh, bluster. I keep forgetting my symbol is a basket of unripe fruit. Why doesn’t the spring wind get more credit? Summer has all the fun.”

“That’s okay,” Nico said quickly. “Just take us to Cupid.”

Zephyros spun the hoop on his finger, and my body dissolved into air, but not before I realized why Nico might have felt a connection with Lydia.


	73. Cupid is St00pid

**Lityerses’s POV**

_Summer 2010_

Okay, there is a very blatant difference between being carried by the wind and being the wind.

When we were carried by the wind, courtesy of Jason, we were still able to see ourselves and feel human.

Now as the wind, I felt completely powerless.

My thoughts were completely scattered, which didn’t help since I was trying to solidify my theory about Nico. See, Lydia is good at those— she can take anything and formulate a spot on theory about it, which leads the theory to become fact.

Now, there were no boundaries between my body and the rest of the world. My brain was basically nonexistent. I wondered if this was how monsters felt when they were defeated— bursting into dust, helpless and formless. This certainly hadn’t been what I felt when I died.

I could sense Jason and Nico were near me, but I didn’t exactly know where they were. The West Wind carried us into the sky above Split. Together we raced over the hills, past Roman aqueducts, highways and vineyards. As we approached the mountains, I saw the ruins of a Roman town spread out in a valley below— crumbling walls, square foundations and cracked roads, all overgrown with grass— so it looked like a giant, mossy game board.

Zephyros set us down in the middle of the ruins, next to a broken column the size of a redwood tree, which basically just means massive. 

My body abruptly re-formed, and for a moment it felt even worse than being the wind, like I’d suddenly been wrapped in a lead overcoat or one of those weighted blankets that Travis and Connor threw onto me once to knock me down. But soon, I was back to normal. 

“Yes, mortal bodies are terribly bulky,” Zephyros said, as if reading my thoughts. The wind god settled on a nearby wall with his basket of fruit and spread his russet wings in the sun. “Honestly, I don’t know how you stand it, day in and day out.”

“It’s not that bad,” I murmured as I scanned our surroundings. The town must have been huge once, though I definitely wouldn’t know for sure. I could make out the shells of temples and bathhouses, a half-buried amphitheatre and empty pedestals that must have once held statues. Rows of columns marched off to nowhere. The old city walls weaved in and out of the hillside like stone thread through a green cloth. Some areas looked like they’d been excavated, but most of the city just seemed abandoned, as if it had been left to the elements for the last two thousand years.

“Welcome to Salona,” Zephyros said. “Capital of Dalmatia! Birthplace of Diocletian! But before that, long before that, it was the home of Cupid.”

The name echoed, as if voices were whispering it through the ruins, and that was very unsettling. 

Something about this place seemed even creepier than the palace basement in Split. I had never thought much about Cupid/Eros in general, because, well, Lydia was the only one I’d ever even wanted a relationship with. I’d certainly never thought of Cupid as scary. Even as demigods, the thought of Cupid or Eros conjured up an image of a silly winged baby with a toy bow and arrow, flying around in his diapers on Valentine’s Day.

“Oh, he’s not like that,” said Zephyros suddenly.

I flinched. “You can read my mind?”

“I don’t need to.” Zephyros tossed his bronze hoop in the air. “Everyone has the wrong impression of Cupid... until they meet him.” He then smirked a bit as he looked at me. “You and your girlfriend were at that stage, then?” The way he wiggled his eyebrows made me turn red, because I knew exactly what thought he had fixated on.

“Shut up,” I mumbled.

“You don’t need to be shy, or nervous about it. It is you who has the experience, not her.”

“With her it’s different,” I said sharply. 

“It’s like the first time ever, with her,” Zephyros mused. “That feeling, I can understand it. All those women in the past mean nothing because they are associated with the past you, the you that is out of the picture. Now... you are a new man. And the only one you want it with is her.”

Maybe Lydia is comfortable discussing that kind of stuff because she always looks at the biology behind it, but I’m not. “If you say one more word about my girlfriend and I’s private matters—“ I stopped myself before I could make a threat. “Just stop.”

Zephyros chuckled a bit. “Alright, son of Demeter. As you wish.” He turned to Nico, who had braced himself against a column, his legs trembling visibly.

“Hey, man...” Jason stepped towards him, but Nico waved him off. At Nico’s feet, the grass turned brown and wilted. The dead patch spread outwards, as if poison were seeping from the soles of his shoes.

“Ah...” Zephyros nodded sympathetically, now remembering he was the main objective. “I don’t blame you for being nervous, Nico di Angelo. Do you know how I ended up serving Cupid?”

“I don’t serve anyone,” Nico muttered. “Especially not Cupid.”

Zephyros continued as if he hadn’t heard. “I fell in love with a mortal named Hyacinthus. He was quite extraordinary.”

“He...?” Jason asked. Then after a moment: “Oh...”

“Yes, Jason Grace.” Zephyros arched an eyebrow. “I fell in love with a dude. Does that shock you?”

I could tell that Jason wasn’t sure. None of us really paid attention to who the gods had love lives with, because that’d make us think of the fact that Lydia and I, for example, would be related if it weren’t for gods not having DNA. I’m her father’s cousin. 

Of course, this was just confirming my theory. Zephyros mentioning him being with Hyacinthus in relation to Nico, who looked beyond nervous. If it was just admitting a simple crush, I doubted it would be that bad. But for him to help Percy even when he seemed to hate him... for him to have seemingly forgiven Lydia even though he blamed her just as much as Percy for his sister’s death... and for him to look at her, then me, different than before...

Well, it’s kind of obvious. Who’s the only openly gay person we all know? Lydia. Who’s the one dating the openly gay person? Me. 

As for Percy... I had a feeling Nico had a crush on him.

I was certain I had figured it out, but I kept silent. Thinking of the fact that I might have just analyzed the situation and pieced it all together... Lydia would be proud of me. 

Gods, I miss her so much. 

“I guess not,” Jason said in response to Zephyros’s question. “So... Cupid struck you with his arrow, and you fell in love.”

Zephyros snorted. “You make it sound so simple. Alas, love is never simple. You see, the god Apollo also liked Hyacinthus. He claimed they were just friends. I don’t know. But one day I came across them together, playing a game of quoits—“

There was that weird word again. “Quoits?” I asked bluntly. I couldn’t believe I still didn’t know what that meant. I probably should.

“A game with those hoops,” Nico explained, though his voice was brittle. “Like horseshoes.”

“Sort of,” Zephyros said. “At any rate, I was jealous. Instead of confronting them and finding out the truth, I shifted the wind and sent a heavy metal ring right at Hyacinthus’s head and, well....” The wind god sighed. “As Hyacinthus died, Apollo turned him into a flower, the hyacinth. I’m sure Apollo would’ve taken horrible vengeance on me, but Cupid offered me his protection. I’d done a terrible thing, but I’d been driven mad by love, so he spared me, on the condition that I work for him forever.”

CUPID.

The name echoed through the ruins again.

“That would be my cue.” Zephyros stood. “Think long and hard about how you proceed, Nico di Angelo. You cannot lie to Cupid. If you let your anger rule you... well, your fate will be even sadder than mine.”

Suddenly, Zephyros disappeared in a swirl of red and gold. The summer air suddenly felt oppressive, and I held my stance as the ground shook, whipping out my sword again and making Jason and Nico follow suit. 

_So_.

The voice rushed past my ear like a bullet, as if it was whirling all around me. When I turned, no one was there.

_You come to claim the sceptre._

Nico, Jason, and I formed an odd triangle, guarding each other’s backs as we looked around.

“Cupid!” I called, narrowing my eyes. “Show yourself!”

The voice laughed. It definitely didn’t sound like a cute baby angel’s. It sounded deep and rich, but also threatening— like a tremor before a major earthquake.

 _Where you least expect me_ , Cupid answered. _As Love always is._

Something slammed into Jason and hurled him across the street, making me whirl around. I saw he had toppled down a set of steps and sprawled on the floor of an excavated Roman basement.

 _I would think you’d know better, Jason Grace._ Cupid’s voice said nearby to where the son of Jupiter was laying on the floor. _You’ve found true love, after all. Or do you still doubt yourself?_

I took my cue to scramble down the steps. Nico practically materialized beside me, and we both hoisted Jason up.

“You okay?” Nico asked.

Jason got to his feet slowly and nodded. “Yeah. Just sucker punched.”

 _Oh, did you expect me to play fair?_ Cupid laughed. _I am the god of love. I am never fair._

This time, my senses were on high alert, but I still could in no way sense the movement of the wind as Jason could. I sensed a movement, however, and managed to launch myself forward just as an arrow materialized in the air, racing towards Nico’s chest. I intercepted it with my sword and deflected it sideways. The arrow exploded against the nearest wall, peppering us with limestone shrapnel, which made me cough. 

I immediately yanked Nico up without regards for his need to be distant from us. I urged the two to follow me up the steps, and I pulled us all to one side as a gust of wind toppled a column that would have crushed us all flat.

“Is this guy Love or Death?” Jason growled.

 _Ask your friends,_ Cupid said. _Frank, Hazel and Percy met my counterpart, Thanatos. We are not so different. Except Death is sometimes kinder._

“We just want the sceptre!” Nico shouted. “We’re trying to stop Gaea. Are you on the gods’ side or not?”

A second arrow hit the ground between Nico’s feet and glowed white-hot. Nico stumbled back as the arrow burst into a geyser of flame.

 _Love is on every side_ , Cupid said. _And no one’s side. Don’t ask what Love can do for you._

“Great,” Jason said. “Now he’s spouting greeting card messages.”

I was just about to let out a nervous chuckle when I sensed more movement behind me. I spun, slicing my sword through the air. My blade bit into something solid. I heard a faint grunt and took the chance to swing again, but the invisible god was gone by then. On the paving stones, a trail of golden ichor shimmered. 

_Unexpected from you, Lityerses, son of Demeter,_ Cupid said. _I would have expected the son of Jupiter to sense my presence faster. But you... your experience places you in a better place. You are very good. Even a glancing hit at true love is more than most heroes manage._

“So now we get the sceptre?” I asked sharply. 

Cupid laughed. _Unfortunately, you could not wield it, and neither could Jason. Only a child of the Underworld can summon the dead legions. And only an officer of Rome can lead them._

“But...” Jason began, as if he had an argument. But he wavered. He was an officer, I think? I hadn’t been paying much attention back in New Rome because I was too busy thinking about Lydia. He was a praetor or something. But wait , hadn’t he’d offered to give up his position to Percy? Hadn’t that scarecrow kid been indignant and horrified? Did that make him unworthy to lead a legion of Roman ghosts? I sure fucking hoped not. 

“Just leave that to us,” Jason said at last. “Nico can summon—“ 

The third arrow zipped by Jason’s shoulder, and neither of us could stop it in time. Nico gasped as it sank into his sword arm. 

“Nico!” I yelled. 

The son of Hades stumbled. The arrow dissolved, leaving no blood and no visible wound, but Nico’s face was tight with rage and pain.

“Enough games!” Nico shouted. “Show yourself!”

 _It is a costly thing_ , Cupid said, _looking on the true face of Love._

Another column toppled, and I scrambled out of the way, making sure neither Jason or Nico got hit. 

_My wife Psyche learned that lesson_ , Cupid said. _She was brought here aeons ago, when this was the site of my palace. We met only in the dark. She was warned never to look upon me, and yet she could not stand the mystery. She feared I was a monster. One night, she lit a candle, and beheld my face as I slept._

“Were you that ugly?” Jason said, scanning the air around us as if he had almost zeroed in on Cupid’s location.

The god laughed. _I was too handsome, I’m afraid. A mortal cannot gaze upon the true appearance of a god without suffering consequences. My mother, Aphrodite, cursed Psyche for her distrust. My poor lover was tormented, forced into exile, given horrible tasks to prove her worth. She was even sent to the Underworld on a quest to show her dedication. She earned her way back to my side, but she suffered greatly._

Jason very suddenly thrust his sword in the sky and thunder shook the valley. Lightning blasted a crater where the voice seemed to have been speaking.

Silence.

“Shit, you got him,” I huffed.

But suddenly, Jason was no longer standing beside me, rather, he was sprawled back on the floor, as if an an invisible force had knocked him to the ground. His sword skittered across the road.

 _A good try,_ Cupid said, _his voice already distant. But Love cannot be pinned down so easily._

Next to him, a wall collapsed. Jason barely managed to roll aside.

“Stop it!” Nico yelled. “It’s me you want. Leave them alone!”

Jason looked at me completely perplexed, as if he still didn’t understand why Nico would think of himself as the main target, but Cupid seemed to agree, and so did _I.  
_

 _Poor Nico di Angelo_. The god’s voice was tinged with disappointment. _Do you know what you want, much less what I want? My beloved Psyche risked everything in the name of Love. It was the only way to atone for her lack of faith. And you— what have you risked in my name?_

“I’ve been to Tartarus and back,” Nico snarled. “You don’t scare me.”

_I scare you very, very much. Face me. Be honest._

Jason pulled himself up and moved closer to me. All around Nico, the ground shifted. The grass withered, and the stones cracked as if something was moving in the earth beneath, trying to push its way through.

“Give us Diocletian’s sceptre,” Nico said. “We don’t have time for games.”

 _Games?_ Cupid struck, slapping Nico sideways into a granite pedestal. _Love is no game! It is no flowery softness! It is hard work— a quest that never ends. It demands everything from you— especially the truth. Only then does it yield rewards. Ask Lityerses! How long did it take his girlfriend to tell him she loved him?_

I winced, because this just seemed to make Nico more agitated, and it was only reminding me of the fact Lydia wasn’t with me.

“Nico,” Jason called, “what does this guy want from you?”

 _Tell him, Nico di Angelo,_ Cupid said. _Tell him you are a coward, afraid of yourself and your feelings. Tell him the real reason you ran from Camp Half-Blood, and why you are always alone._

Nico let loose a guttural scream. The ground at his feet split open and skeletons crawled forth – dead Romans with missing hands and caved-in skulls, cracked ribs and jaws unhinged. Some were dressed in the remnants of togas. Others had glinting pieces of armour hanging off their chests.

 _Will you hide among the dead, as you always do?_ Cupid taunted.

Waves of darkness rolled off the son of Hades. When they hit me, I almost lost consciousness— overwhelmed by hatred and fear and shame...

Images flashed through my mind. I saw Nico and his sister on a snowy cliff in Maine, Percy Jackson protecting them from a manticore. Percy‘s sword gleamed in the dark. He’d been the very first demigod Nico had ever seen in action.

Later, at Camp Half-Blood, Percy took Nico by the arm, promising to keep his sister Bianca safe. Nico had believed him. Nico had looked into his sea-green eyes and thought, How can he possibly fail? This is a real hero. He was Nico’s favourite game, Mythomagic, brought to life.

I saw the moment when Percy returned and told Nico that Bianca was dead. Nico had screamed and called him a liar. Lydia had appeared and tried to calm him down, and Nico had slapped Lydia. Nico had felt betrayed, but still... when the skeleton warriors attacked, he couldn’t let them harm Percy. Nico had called on the earth to swallow them up just as they converged on Lydia and the son of Poseidon, and then he’d run away— terrified of his own powers, and his own emotions.

I saw a dozen more scenes like this from Nico’s point of view... And they left me stunned, unable to move or speak. I had never even imagined that he had felt, not that deeply anyway. 

Meanwhile, Nico’s Roman skeletons surged forward and grappled with something invisible. The god struggled, flinging the dead aside, breaking off ribs and skulls, but the skeletons kept coming, pinning the god’s arms.

 _Interesting!_ Cupid said. _Do you have the strength, after all?_

“I left Camp Half-Blood because of love,” Nico said. “Annabeth and Lydia... they—“

 _Still hiding,_ Cupid said, smashing another skeleton to pieces. _You do not have the strength._

“Nico,” I managed, though I was feeling really overwhelmed by the images in my mind. “I... I understand.”

“We get it, Nico,” Jason urged. “It’s okay.”

Nico glanced over, pain and misery washing across his face.

“No, you don’t,” he said. “There’s no way you can understand, Jason. Lit...” he stopped himself. 

_And so you run away again,_ Cupid chided. _From your friends, from yourself._

“I don’t have friends!” Nico yelled. “I left Camp Half-Blood because I don’t belong! I’ll never belong!”

The skeletons had Cupid pinned now, but the invisible god laughed so cruelly that I wanted to will the grass to grow like crazy and strangle him. Unfortunately, I doubted it was the right thing to do. 

“Leave him alone, Cupid,” Jason croaked, looking exhausted. “This isn’t...”

Nico’s voice was like broken glass. “I—I wasn’t in love with Annabeth.” Then he looked at me. “And don’t— don’t think I was in love with Lydia—“

“You were jealous of them,” I said, trying to be as sincere as I could. “You didn’t like them, especially not Lydia, because she— you thought she might not understand because she was always around him, and she saw him as a brother, and she’s protective. It... it makes sense why you didn’t want to be around... him.” 

All the fight and denial seemed to go out of Nico at once. The darkness subsided. The Roman dead collapsed into bones and crumbled to dust.

“I hated myself,” Nico said. “I hated Percy Jackson.”

Cupid became visible— a lean, muscular young man with snowy white wings, straight black hair, a simple white frock and jeans. The bow and quiver slung over his shoulder were no toys— they were weapons of war. His eyes were as red as blood, as if every valentine in the world had been squeezed dry, distilled into one poisonous mixture. His face was handsome, but also harsh— as difficult to look at as a spotlight. He watched Nico with satisfaction, as if he’d identified the exact spot for his next arrow to make a clean kill.

“I had a crush on Percy,” Nico spat. “That’s the truth. That’s the big secret.” He glared at Cupid. “Happy now?”

For the first time, Cupid’s gaze seemed sympathetic. “Oh, I wouldn’t say Love always makes you happy.” His voice sounded smaller, much more human. “Sometimes it makes you incredibly sad. But at least you’ve faced it now. That’s the only way to conquer me.”

Cupid dissolved into the wind.

On the ground where he’d stood lay an ivory staff three feet long, topped with a dark globe of polished marble about the size of a baseball, nestled on the backs of three gold Roman eagles. The sceptre of Diocletian.

Nico knelt and picked it up. He seemed about to say something, but I cut him off.

“I figured it out as we arrived here,” I said, kneeling down in front of him. “Lydia told me you seemed to look at her different. You did it to me too. And Zephyros— he didn’t just mention Hyacinthus to try and test our reactions. It was a clue.” 

I reached out and put my hand on his shoulder. “Lydia was scared when she told me. Granted, we were in a helicopter on our way to free Hera. She sort of blurted it out... but it was clear she was terrified. She was worried I wouldn’t like her. But the thing about you and Lydia... is you’re still people. No matter who you’re attracted to.”

Nico looked up at me slowly. “I was going to tell her. I wanted her to be the first to know,” he mumbled, straightening up. “She’s the only openly gay person I know. Sure, she’s only dated guys... but I remember all the times they teased her about liking Rachel. She said Bianca was cute when she met her... that was my first indication. I learned when I got to Camp that Lydia had been really young when she came out to her siblings... the Stolls. She barely understood it, but she _knew_. She knew she was different. But when... when she fell into Tartarus... I wanted to tell you, because I knew you had be understanding if you were with her. But I just... I couldn’t. You were hardly coming out to eat and... I... I didn’t want to burden you with my secret.”

I stood, and nodded, a very small smile on my face. “I understand. I do. And so does Jason.”

Nico’s expression darkened. “Look, if the others found out—“ 

“If the others found out,” Jason said without hesitation, “you’d have that many more people to back you up and to unleash the fury of the gods on anybody who gives you trouble. But it’s your call. Your decision to share or not. I can only tell you—“

“I don’t feel that way any more,” Nico muttered. “I mean... I gave up on Percy. I was young and impressionable, and I— I don’t...”

His voice cracked, and I could tell the guy was about to get teary-eyed. Whether Nico had really given up on Percy or not, I couldn’t imagine what it had been like for Nico all those years, keeping a secret that would’ve been as unthinkable to share in the 1940s as when I had been alive, denying who he was, feeling completely alone— even more isolated than other demigods.

“Nico,” Jason said gently, “I’ve seen a lot of brave things. But what you just did? That was maybe the bravest.”

Nico looked up uncertainly, but I could tell that he seemed to appreciate it.

“You can always talk to us,” I added. “We will listen. We are here for you.”

He nodded slowly and cleared his throat. “We should uh, get back to the ship.”

“Yeah,” Jason agreed. “I can fly us—“

“No,” Nico announced. “This time we’re shadow-traveling. I’ve had enough of the winds for awhile.”


	74. I Find I’m Losing My Mind

**Lydia Castellan’s POV**

_Summer 2010_

When I woke up, I was super fucking confused.

I could see shadows dancing across the ceiling of what looked to be a hut? I didn’t remember how I got here, but as soon as I turned and saw Annabeth, it came flooding back.

Mega ouch.

“Lydia, you’re awake,” she said softly as she sat up. “How do you feel?”

“I’m... alright,” I replied, slowly getting into a sitting position as well. Truth be told, I did feel pretty good. “What did I miss?”

“Well for starters, a drakon.”

“What? Godsdamnit, I love those.”

“And you’re a drakon slayer. But this one is different. Actually right now... we’re with a giant. Damasen, the bane of Ares. He’s nice.” 

“Interesting,” I mused as Small Bob suddenly crawled onto my lap. I smiled and rubbed its little back.

“Shh,” Annabeth said suddenly, patting the air next to her. I squinted and realized Percy lay there, snoring. I supposed I hadn’t really noticed he was there. 

Outside, I could hear Bob talking with an unfamiliar being— probably Damasen.

“You haven’t told her,” the unfamiliar voice said.

“No,” Bob admitted. “She is already scared.”

The giant grumbled. “She should be. And if you cannot guide them past Night?”

Damasen said Night like it was a proper name— an evil name. It made me tense, but Annabeth squeezed my head reassuringly. 

“I have to,” Bob said.

“Why?” Damasen wondered. “What have the demigods given you? They have erased your old self, everything you were. Titans and giants... we are meant to be the foes of the gods and their children. Are we not?”

“Then why did you heal the boy and the other girl?”

Damasen exhaled. “I have been wondering that myself. Perhaps because the first girl goaded me, or perhaps... I find these three demigods intriguing. They are resilient to have made it so far. That is admirable. The girl who needed healing... I can sense how different she is. She was cursed with more power than other demigods.” He paused and sighed. “Still, how can we help them any further? It is not our fate.”

“Perhaps,” Bob said uncomfortably. “But... do you like our fate?”

“What a question. Does anyone like his fate?”

“I liked being Bob,” Bob murmured. “Before I started to remember...”

“Huh.” There was a shuffling sound, as if one of them was stuffing a leather bag.

“Damasen,” the Titan asked, “do you remember the sun?”

The shuffling stopped. I heard the giant exhale through his nostrils. “Yes. It was yellow. When it touched the horizon, it turned the sky beautiful colours.”

“I miss the sun,” Bob said. “The stars, too. I would like to say hello to the stars again.”

“Stars...” Damasen said the word as if he’d forgotten its meaning. “Yes. They made silver patterns in the night sky.” He threw something to the floor with a thump. “Bah. This is useless talk. We cannot—“

In the distance, a drakon roared.

“Maeonian drakon,” I mumbled. “That’s what the roar is.”

“Yep,” Annabeth confirmed. Another roar sounded, and Percy sat bolt upright. “What? What— where— what?”

“It’s okay.” Annabeth took his arm.

When he registered that we were together in what I now knew to be giant’s bed with a skeleton cat, he looked more confused than ever. “That noise... where are we?”

“How much do you remember?” she asked.

Percy frowned. His eyes seemed alert. All his wounds had vanished. Except for his tattered clothes and a few layers of dirt and grime, he looked as if he’d never fallen into Tartarus. I looked down at myself and saw I was just as healed and cleaned up as him.

“I— the demon grandmothers— and then... not much,” Percy admitted. 

Damasen very suddenly loomed over the bed, and since I had yet to meet him, it made me flinch a bit. “There is no time, little mortals. The drakon is returning. I fear its roar will draw the others— my brethren, hunting you. They will be here within minutes.” 

Annabeth tensed. “What will you tell them when they get here?”

Damasen’s mouth twitched. “What is there to tell? Nothing of significance, as long as you are gone.”

He tossed us two drakon-leather satchels. “Clothes, food, drink.” I noticed Bob was wearing a similar but larger pack. He leaned on his broom, gazing at Annabeth as if still pondering Damasen’s words: What have the demigods given you? We are meant to be the foes of the gods and their children.

Suddenly Annabeth went almost rigid. “Annabeth?” I asked immediately. “Annabeth, are you okay?” 

“The Prophecy of Seven,” she blurted out.

Percy had already climbed out of the bed and was shouldering his pack, which I imitated. He looked at me, then frowned at her. “What about it?”

Annabeth grabbed Damasen’s hand, startling the giant. His brow furrowed.

“You have to come with us,” she pleaded. “The prophecy says foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. I thought it meant Romans and Greeks, but that’s not it. The line means us— demigods, a Titan, a giant. We need you to close the Doors!”

The drakon roared outside, closer this time. I knew it was only a matter of seconds before its Maeonian wrath was upon us. Damasen gently pulled his hand away from Annabeth’s. 

“No, child,” he murmured. “My curse is here. I cannot escape it.”

“Yes, you can,” Annabeth said. “Don’t fight the drakon. Figure out a way to break the cycle! Find

another fate.”

Damasen shook his head. “Even if I could, I cannot leave this swamp. It is the only destination I can picture.”

“There is another destination!” Annabeth insisted. “Look at me! Remember my face. When you’re ready, come find me. We’ll take you to the mortal world with us. You can see the sunlight and stars.”

The ground shook. The drakon was definitely close now, probably blasting trees and moss with its poison spray. Further away, I heard the voice of a giant who was most likely Polybotes, urging his followers forward. “THE SEA GOD’S SON! HE IS CLOSE!”

“Annabeth,” Percy said urgently, “that’s our cue to leave.”

Damasen took something from his belt. In his massive hand, the white shard looked like another toothpick, but when he offered it to Annabeth she realized it was a sword— a blade of dragon bone, honed to a deadly edge, with a simple grip of leather.

“One last gift for the child of Athena,” rumbled the giant. “I cannot have you walking to your death unarmed. Now, go! Before it is too late.”

Annabeth took the sword, but she said nothing. She looked away from me, and I realized she probably lost the knife I’d given her after she lost her laptop and the dagger Luke had granted her all those years ago. 

“We must leave,” Bob urged as his kitten climbed off my lap and onto his shoulder.

“He’s right, Annabeth,” I said softly. “Please.”

We ran for the entrance as soon as she nodded. I didn’t look back as I followed Percy and Bob into the swamp outside, but I heard Damasen behind us, shouting a battle cry at the likely advancing drakon, his voice cracking with despair as he faced his old enemy yet again, and the story of his flooded into my memory. 

As we stumbled along into the darkness, I could feel the air growing thick and cold. I was starting to remember the dream I had where I could have sworn I had been present beside Lit, but I wasn’t able to recall it in as much detail, which made my chest ache. The ground uprooted patches of pointy rocks and pools of muck, and I almost tripped on one trying to inhale the scent of mint that was no longer there.

I’d never exactly noticed what Lit smelled like, and now that I had pinpointed it enough to have sensed him, the smell simply wouldn’t return to my nostrils.

Aggravating. 

And now I was exhausted. I had started out from the giant’s hut feeling strong again, my head decently clear, my belly full of drakon jerky from our packs of provisions that Annabeth apparently had fed me while I was passed out. 

Now, my legs were sore. Every muscle ached. I pulled a makeshift tunic of drakon leather over my shredded T-shirt, but it did nothing to keep out the chill, and I found myself shivering a tad too violently for my liking every other step. 

My focus narrowed to the ground in front of me. Please, Hermes, don’t let me trip. Nothing existed except for that and Annabeth and Percy at my side, and if I fell, I would probably lose all motivation to keep moving forward.

I didn’t just want Lit. I needed him. I needed to know he was okay. I needed to know he was still thinking about me as much as I was thinking about him. I needed to be able to lay in his arms to remember why I do what I do. Why I put up with this utter bullshit.

I kept finding myself growing more and more jealous of Annabeth and Percy. Able to cuddle each other. I know they’re my best friends and all, but really, they only needed to be with each other to feel okay. If the world ended and they were the last two journeying together on a road like Cormac McCarthy’s, they’d be okay with it. 

Meanwhile, I was here as the stupid third wheel who seemed to be growing weaker mentally and physically. I just needed Lit.

I kept feeling the need to give up. What if I did? What if I just plopped myself down and died? I started to feel the urge to let myself trip about every ten minutes. What if when I got out of this, I was permanently traumatized? I noticed Annabeth and Percy looked weary, but something about it all just made me feel a hell of a lot weaker.

Maybe I just thought I was being impacted more than them, but my skin was crawling and letting me know there was more to it.

With every step I wondered about what Damasen said about me being cursed with more powers. I had never necessarily considered it a curse. A burden maybe, because frankly there were too many powers to keep track of and only few I could use without risk of death or going unconscious in foreign countries.

But now, it did feel like a curse. It was like I was being weighed down by the strength my father granted me when he sired me knowing that my mother was cursed with the Oracle’s misplaced power. Lit had told me that that alone had influenced me inheriting so many of my father’s abilities. It was as if now, my steps were heavier because I had too much whirling around inside me. Too much power being withheld and channeled, that it was leading me to deteriorate faster in Tartarus.

Once, I had thought all my powers made me stronger.

But really, they made me more susceptible to suffering and pain.

Now I felt worry like crazy. I was worried for Lit, if he was taking care of himself, if he was coping with nightmares, if he was even eating. I was worried about Annabeth, who didn’t seem to be able to stop crying after her talk with Damasen. She looked more distraught than ever. I was worried about Percy, who looked strangely calm, almost like he was relieved that Damasen had rejected Annabeth’s offer to join them. What if opposing opinions got between Percabeth? I’d been shipping those two like crazy for years, and while I didn’t like being the third wheel, I wouldn’t want them to break up.

Fuck. My mind is super worse care scenario right now. 

I tried my best to think of good things. I tried remembering all the kissed Lit and I shared. The ones where we tried re-enacting Spiderman moments, or just the soft forehead kisses we exchanged before one of us had an important exam. I thought about the fact that I trusted him, and I was just ready to _do it_. I even tried forgetting how much of a cockblock Tartarus was. 

I thought even further ahead. Perhaps for becoming a neurosurgeon, I’d need my five years of residency and three years of fellowship on top of finishing my last year of Med school at Stanford. So maybe in ten years, I’d be practicing at a hospital and doing crazy awesome surgeries like Derek and Amelia Shepherd (and Tom Koracick I guess, but he’s ehh). 

In ten years, maybe, I’d be living in a super cool house by the beach. Lit would be practicing as a lawyer, and every morning we’d go for a run and have a nice breakfast before work. We’d come back in the evenings and make dinner together and talk about our day. Maybe even cuddle and do some fun stuff. Watch movies.

And _kids_. In ten years, I might be a mother. I tried to make it all best case scenario: a super chill labor to deliver.... let’s say.... three kids for starters. Two boys and a girl. In that reality, I’ll have cured Alzheimer’s or something and my mother would get to be a grandmother, and help us with the kids while we worked. 

But as much as I tried to think of good stuff, I always remembered we were in Tartarus. Lit and I weren’t together right now. All that was around me was death, darkness, cold, and pain. Anything else was a product of my imagination. 

I couldn’t even imagine how Nico had gone down here alone. I understood perhaps darkness wasn’t too foreign to him, but that must have been absolutely terrible. 

“This place is worse than the River Cocytus,” Percy muttered beside me.

“Yes,” Bob called back happily. “Much worse! It means we are close.”

“Close,” I repeated dejectedly, reaching my hands up to rub my temples. “Awesome...”

I wanted to ask what exactly what we were close to, but I didn’t really have the strength to be curious right now. I noticed Small Bob the cat had hidden himself in Bob’s coveralls again, which reinforced my opinion that the kitten was the smartest one in our group. Also the cutest (sorry Percabeth).

I noticed Annabeth and Percy moved to hold hands, and felt another jealous pang in my heart. This time, I did sort of trip, and felt dizzy for a second, though I quickly shook it off. 

The one thing I couldn’t shake off was that something felt really wrong with my body, and it was only dawning on me now. 

“....But next time,” I heard Annabeth say to Percy, “I want to go somewhere different on a date.”

“Paris was nice,” he recalled.

“I’d settle for New Rome,” she offered. “As long as you’re there with me.”

I winced a bit, and tried looking forward, but at that moment, the darkness dispersed with a massive sigh, like the last breath of a dying god. 

In front of us was a clearing— a barren field of dust and stones. In the center, about twenty yards away, knelt the gruesome figure of a woman, her clothes tattered, her limbs emaciated, her skin leathery green. Her head was bent as she sobbed quietly, and the sound shattered all of my hopes.

She reminded me of my mother. When she got semi-lucid or lonely, she cried, and it broke my heart because I could never stop her. 

It was as if her sobs were letting us know that life was pointless. That our struggles were for nothing. This woman cried as if mourning the death of the entire world.

“We’re here,” Bob announced. “Akhlys can help.”

I wish I could have put pause on my life like a movie or something, similar to what Kuzco does in The Emperor’s New Groove movie. Just, at the very least, to explain that if this sobbing ghoul was Bob’s idea of help, I was certain I didn’t want it.

But Bob just trudged forward, and we all basically felt obliged to follow. If nothing else, this area was less dark— not exactly light, but with more of a soupy white fog.

“Akhlys!” Bob called.

The creature raised her head, and my mouth dropped open. 

Her body was bad enough. She looked like the victim of a famine— limbs like sticks, swollen knees and knobby elbows, rags for clothes, broken fingernails and toenails. Dust was caked on her skin and piled on her shoulders as if she’d taken a shower at the bottom of an hourglass.

Her face was utter desolation. Her eyes were sunken and rheumy, pouring out tears. Her nose dripped like a waterfall. Her stringy grey hair was matted to her skull in greasy tufts, and her cheeks were raked and bleeding as if she’d been clawing herself.

As someone who loved bodies, she was a specimen of sorts. But suddenly, my stomach felt sick, and I didn’t want to look at her at all. 

I simply couldn’t stand to meet her eyes, so I lowered my gaze. Across her knees lay an ancient shield— a battered circle of wood and bronze, painted with the likeness of Akhlys herself holding a shield, so the image seemed to go on forever, smaller and smaller.

“That shield,” Annabeth murmured. “That’s his. I thought it was just a story.”

“Oh, no,” the old hag wailed. “The shield of Hercules. He painted me on its surface, so his enemies would see me in their final moments— the goddess of misery.” She coughed so hard it made my chest hurt. My brain immediately started going over the steps for a chest intubation. “As if Hercules knew true misery. It’s not even a good likeness!”

Just the mention of Hercules was making me sick. When we’d encountered Hercules at the Straits of Gibraltar, I’d basically been threatened with capital R abuse by the dude, and I hadn’t felt too safe after that. It sickened me that he had even suggested it, and had made me undress slightly for his amusement. 

“What’s his shield doing here?” Percy asked.

The goddess stared at him with her wet milky eyes. Her cheeks dripped blood, making red polka dots on her tattered dress. “He doesn’t need it any more, does he? It came here when his mortal body was burned. A reminder, I suppose, that no shield is sufficient. In the end, misery overtakes all of you. Even Hercules.”

Percy inched closer to Annabeth and I. Hearing Akhlys speak, I no longer found it strange that she had clawed her own cheeks at all. The goddess radiated pure pain, and I was grateful for Percy’s slight comfort. 

“Bob,” Percy said, “we shouldn’t have come here.”

From somewhere inside Bob’s uniform, the skeleton kitten mewled in agreement. The Titan shifted and winced as if Small Bob was clawing his armpit. “Akhlys controls the Death Mist,” he insisted. “She can hide you.”

“Hide them?” Akhlys made a gurgling sound. She was either laughing or choking to death. “Why would I do that?”

“They must reach the Doors of Death,” Bob said. “To return to the mortal world.”

“Impossible!” Akhlys said. “The armies of Tartarus will find you. They will kill you.” 

I gritted my teeth. “That just makes it seem like your Death Mist is useless,” I snarled without thinking. “Because wouldn’t it please you for us to be miserable and unseen, and wouldn’t you adore the misery that would come if even that didn’t conceal us? No, sounds like your mist is garbage.”

Percy and Annabeth visibly flinched, as if looking at me in a new light. The goddess bared her broken yellow teeth. “Useless? Who are you?”

“Lydia Castellan, daughter of Hermes,” I said sharply. For some reason, I felt unnaturally angry now, as if her misery was churning every sentiment inside me and charging me up with violence thanks to all the power stored within. “I didn’t fucking walk halfway across Tartarus to be told what’s impossible by some minor goddess. I hadn’t even heard of you until now!” 

The dust quivered at our feet. Fog swirled around them with a sound like agonized wailing.

“Minor goddess?” Akhlys’s gnarled fingernails dug into Hercules’s shield, gouging the metal. “I was old before the Titans were born, you ignorant girl. I was old when Gaea first woke. Misery is eternal. Existence is misery. I was born of the eldest ones— of Chaos and Night. I was—“

“Who cares?” I spat. “It sounds like you’re covering your ass because you don’t have the power to hide us in your Death Mist!”

“You’d know all about power!” Akhlys scoffed, the blood seeping down her cheeks a bit faster. “I can see my presence is making you erratic, weak girl. You, who think yourself so strong—“

I shook my head so hard I felt my neck crack. “USELESS!” I cried. “Your Death Mist is useless!”

Annabeth let out a small squeak. Some part of her looked thoroughly afraid of me. The other part seemed to be hatching a plan from it. “L-Lydia is right,” she said immediately. 

“Yeah, she is,” Percy volunteered helpfully, looking between Annabeth and I. “Bob brought us all this way because he thought you could help. But I guess you’re too busy staring at that shield and crying. I can’t blame you. It looks just like you.”

Akhlys wailed and glared at the Titan. “Why did you inflict these annoying children on me?”

Bob made a sound somewhere between a rumble and a whimper. “I thought— I thought—“ 

“The Death Mist is not for helping!” Akhlys shrieked. “It shrouds mortals in misery as their souls pass into the Underworld. It is the very breath of Tartarus, of death, of despair!”

“Awesome,” Percy said. “Could we get three orders of that to go?”

Akhlys hissed. “Ask me for a more sensible gift. I am also the goddess of poisons. I could give you death— thousands of ways to die less painful than the one you have chosen by marching into the heart of the pit.”

Around the goddess, flowers bloomed in the dust— dark purple, orange and red blossoms that smelled sickly sweet.

“Nightshade,” Akhlys offered. “Hemlock. Belladonna, henbane or strychnine. I can dissolve your innards, boil your blood.”

“That’s very nice of you,” Percy said. “But I’ve had enough poison for one trip. Now, can you hide us in your Death Mist, or not?”

“Yeah, it’ll be fun,” Annabeth prompted, glaring at me like willing me to stay silent.

The goddess’s eyes narrowed. “Fun?”

“Sure,” Annabeth promised. “If we fail, think how great it will be for you, gloating over our spirits

when we die in agony. You’ll get to say I told you so for eternity.”

“Or, if we succeed,” Percy added, “think of all the suffering you’ll bring to the monsters down here.

We intend to seal the Doors of Death. That’s going to cause a lot of wailing and moaning.”

Akhlys considered. “I enjoy suffering. Wailing is also good.”

“Then it’s settled,” Percy said. “Make us invisible.”

Akhlys struggled to her feet. The shield of Hercules rolled away and wobbled to a stop in a patch of poison flowers. “It is not so simple,” the goddess said. “The Death Mist comes at the moment you are closest to your end. Your eyes will be clouded only then. The world will fade.”

“Okay,” Percy mumbled uneasily. “But... we’ll be shrouded from the monsters?”

“Oh, yes,” Akhlys said. “If you survive the process, you will be able to pass unnoticed among the armies of Tartarus. It is hopeless, of course, but if you are determined, then come. I will show you the way.”

“The way to where, exactly?” Annabeth asked. The goddess was already shuffling into the gloom.

I turned to look at Bob, but the Titan was gone. “Where did he go?” I asked a bit harshly. 

“He cannot take this path,” the goddess called back. “He is not mortal. Come, little fools. Come, experience the Death Mist.”

Annabeth exhaled and grabbed Percy’s hand, before looking cautiously at me. “Well... how bad can it be?”

The question was so ridiculous Percy and I laughed, even though it hurt my lungs. “Yeah. Next date, though— dinner in New Rome,” Percy offered. 

For a minute, I felt slightly calmed. But as we started to follow the goddess’s dusty footprints through the poison flowers, deeper into the fog, I felt an overwhelming urge to kill.


	75. My Sanity Goes Down The Drain

_Kill. Kill. Kill._

I felt my chest tighten as I suddenly started to see blood in the air. I wasn’t sure why it was happening, but there was red all over.

It seemed Percy and Annabeth were still beside me, but it was as if they were miles away. My fingers twitched, and I felt dazed for a second.

_Kill. Kill. Kill._

It was on repeat in my mind and I wasn’t sure why. I wanted to grab Slasher and run in through something— preferably something living.

I didn’t understand why my mind was basically spasming. My vision blurred, and it was like a voice was screaming in my head for me to act. 

_Kill. Kill. Kill._

I was seeing red again. But it was like the blood had coated everything. I looked to my right and saw Percy and Annabeth there, but their figures were a hazy, dull red. My heard was pounding hard inside my chest, and my muscles twitched. I didn’t feel like I was in control of myself. 

Suddenly, it was like I was seeing myself in third person. I could see myself but it was like it wasn’t me. I felt detached from my body, like my brain had ceased to accept me as part of it. I saw my own hand reaching for my sword. 

Then, just as quickly as the feeling arrived, it dissipated.

I was jolted back into my body, and I shivered. Slowly, my limbs stopped trembling, and my breathing slowed. The red subsided. I felt dizzy, like I might collapse any second.

But I no longer had an overwhelming urge to kill. It was like someone had come behind me and started stroking my hair, as if I had been an possessed by a demon and now, the trance was done with. 

Weird. 

For a minute, I struggled to remember what was happening. With every step, I felt a sharp pain in my head. I couldn’t remember when I started to walk, I couldn’t remember who we were following, or what we were even doing here. It was as if I was a puppet trotting along a dangerous makeshift stage. 

Slowly, however, the main details returned. Akhlys. A mist to ‘help’ us. Tartarus. Me falling in with Percy and Annabeth. 

It scared me how easily I’d forgotten the most important details in my life at the moment. 

As we struggled across the dusty plain, the fog became so thick that I had to resist the urge to swat it away with my hands. It felt like knives were going to attack me, which didn’t make sense because the fog wasn’t taking the shape of a knife. I felt terribly on edge and frankly, really paranoid. The only reason I was able to follow Akhlys’s path was because poisonous plants sprang up wherever she walked, and I kept forcing myself to remember we needed to go with her. 

If we were still on the body of Tartarus, I figured they must be on the bottom of his foot— a rough, calloused expanse where only the most disgusting plant life grew. I tried to think of the anatomy of it all, but suddenly, I didn’t feel so interested. It was like anatomy was suddenly boring. 

Did I even want to be a surgeon? 

“Lydia, are you okay?”

I blinked as a poke in the side from Annabeth jolted me back to reality, and nodded slowly. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

“You got a little... heated with Akhlys. Like... really angry.”

“What?” I tried to remember, but the memory of it was still fuzzy. I didn’t recall what I’d said. I swayed for a second. I had remembered Akhlys and the fact we needed to follow her, but I still didn’t know how we got here. “I don’t....”

“You don’t what?” Annabeth asked cautiously.

“I don’t.... remember,” I replied honestly. “I seriously don’t. Just a second ago I was paying attention to walking but now that you mention it.... I don’t know what just happened.”

I couldn’t admit that I felt really disoriented and confused. 

Annabeth’s eyebrows furrowed. “Lydia, is something wrong with you?”

Suddenly, my chest tightened, and I growled. 

I didn’t understand why it made me angry. She was asking a simple question. But now, it was like she was accusing me of being a psycho or something. 

“Nothing is wrong with me,” I said defensively. 

Annabeth flinched and moved away, and Percy gave me a look that made me want to swat my arm out and smack it right off his face. My hand twitched, but it didn’t move.

Finally we seemed to arrive at the end of the big toe. At least that’s what it looked like to me, and it was enough to make me calm again. The fog dissipated, and we found ourselves on a peninsula that jutted out over a pitch-black void.

“Here we are.” Akhlys turned and leered at us. Blood from her cheeks dripped on her dress. Her sickly eyes looked moist and swollen but somehow excited.

For a minute, the way she looked was appealing. The pain suited her. It was attractive, thinking of all the blood and the misery that shrouded the old hag of a goddess. 

“Uh... great,” Percy responded, sounding confused. “Where is here?”

“The verge of final death,” Akhlys said. “Where Night meets the void below Tartarus.”

Annabeth inched forward and peered over the cliff. “I thought there was nothing below Tartarus.” 

“Oh, certainly there is...” Akhlys coughed. “Even Tartarus had to rise from somewhere. This is the edge of the earliest darkness, which was my mother. Below lies the realm of Chaos, my father. Here, you are closer to nothingness than any mortal has ever been. Can you not feel it?”

I knew exactly what she meant. The void seemed to be pulling at me, leaching the breath from my lungs and the oxygen from my blood. I looked at Annabeth and saw that her lips were tinged blue. 

For a second, I felt a sharp pain in all of my joints and almost smiled sadistically. It was a relief. It felt nice to think of us all suffering. My head felt abnormally heavy, and I thought maybe, I could sway and try and pitch myself over an edge. Get rid of my mortal body.

I felt lost. Like the inside of my body had turned into a labyrinth of insanity, and I needed to find my way back to the part of my brain that kept my morals intact. But I didn’t want to go through the maze, I didn’t want to fight.

I could feel myself slipping deeper and deeper into a pit of no return inside myself. I couldn’t explain it, but being here felt like a relief to let go. I felt like I was losing it— falling into a box in my body that would lock me in, a box made of all the powers I was cursed with, creating fortified walls that would asphyxiate me until there was nothing left of my soul. 

And I didn’t understand how to stop it. 

“We need to leave,” Percy noted quietly. “We can’t stay here.” 

“No, indeed!” Akhlys said. “Don’t you feel the Death Mist? Even now, you pass between. Look!”

White smoke gathered around my feet. As it coiled up my legs, I realized the smoke wasn’t surrounding me. It was coming from me. My whole body was dissolving. held up my hands and found they were fuzzy and indistinct. I couldn’t even tell how many fingers I had.

I looked over at Annabeth and my eyes widened.

She looked dead. 

Her skin was sallow, her eye sockets dark and sunken. Her beautiful hair had dried into a skein of cobwebs. She looked like she’d been stuck in a cool, dark mausoleum for decades, slowly withering into a desiccated husk. When she turned to look at Percy and I, her features momentarily blurred into mist, and I realized Percy was looking just like her. 

“Oh, gods,” Annabeth sobbed. ‘Percy, Lydia.... the way you look...” 

I studied my own arms, and found focusing my eyes on my own body was making me dizzy. All I saw were blobs of white mist, but I guessed that to Annabeth, I looked like a corpse, just how I saw her. I took a few steps, though it was difficult. My body felt insubstantial, like I was made of helium and cotton candy.

Slowly, I felt my skin crawling, even though I couldn’t really see it. I started breathing heavily again, and I could feel myself shaking. I was gone, my body was gone, I couldn’t see myself. I was lost, I wasn’t me anymore, my mind was detached from my body. I felt myself start tearing up, and I wanted to scream, wanted to tear at my own body. I felt like I wasn’t in it anymore, like I had completely lost myself. 

“I’m fine,” I mumbled softly. “I-I’m fine....”

But I couldn’t convince myself it was true. 

Akhlys clucked. “Oh, you’re definitely not fine.”

Percy frowned. “But we’ll pass unseen now? We can get to the Doors of Death?”

“Well, perhaps you could,” the goddess said, “if you lived that long, which you won’t.”

Akhlys spread her gnarled fingers. More plants bloomed along the edge of the pit— hemlock, nightshade and oleander spreading towards my feet like a deadly carpet. “The Death Mist is not simply a disguise, you see. It is a state of being. I could not bring you this gift unless death followed— true death.” 

“It’s a trap,” Annabeth said almost wearily. 

The goddess cackled. “Didn’t you expect me to betray you?”

“Yes,” Annabeth and Percy said together.

“Well, then, it was hardly a trap! More of an inevitability. Misery is inevitable. Pain is—“

“Yeah, yeah,” Percy growled. “Let’s get to the fighting.” He drew Riptide, but the blade was made of smoke. When he slashed at Akhlys, the sword just floated across her like a gentle breeze.

The goddess’s ruined mouth split into a grin. “Did I forget to mention? You are only mist now— a shadow before death. Perhaps if you had time, you could learn to control your new form. But you do not have time. Since you cannot touch me, I fear any fight with Misery will be quite one-sided.”

“What the fuck?!” I shrieked, unsheathing Slasher. My sword was also made of smoke, and suddenly I felt murderous. Akhlys was transforming at that very moment, as if she knew how angry she’d just made me. Her fingernails grew into talons. Her jaw unhinged, and her yellow teeth elongated into fangs.

She lunged at Percy first, and initially I thought maybe she’d go through him, until her claws raked across his chest and made him stumble backwards.

Almost immediately, she whirled around and launched herself at me. I tried to dodge, but my legs moved way too slowly. My arms felt like tissue paper. Akhlys would have bitten my face off if Annabeth hadn’t charged and screamed right in the goddess’s ear.

Akhlys flinched, turning towards the sound.

She lashed out at Annabeth, but Annabeth was better at moving than Percy and I. Maybe she wasn’t feeling as smoky.

But part of me knew it was probably that Percy and I were weighed down too much by our internal power. The misery was thriving off of it and we were probably feeling it more than she was. 

Annabeth dove straight between the goddess’s legs and somersaulted to her feet. Akhlys turned and attacked, but Annabeth dodged again, like a matador.

I was so stunned that I lost a few precious seconds. I stared at corpse Annabeth, shrouded in mist but moving as fast and confidently as ever. 

I was getting angrier, but for some reason, my body wasn’t ready to go into overdrive yet. At the moment, I felt weak. Vulnerable. I knew Annabeth was buying us time, but I didn’t feel I could move. 

On Akhlys’s third attack, Annabeth wasn’t so lucky. She tried to veer aside, but the goddess grabbed Annabeth’s wrist and pulled her hard, sending her sprawling.

Before the goddess could pounce, Percy advanced, yelling and waving his sword. “Hey, Happy!” he yelled.

Akhlys spun, dropping Annabeth’s arm. “Happy?” she demanded.

“Yeah!” He ducked as she swiped at his head. “You’re downright cheerful!”

“Arggh!” She lunged again, but she was off-balance. Percy sidestepped and backed away, leading the goddess further from Annabeth. “Pleasant!” he called. “Delightful!”

The goddess snarled and winced. She stumbled after Percy. Each compliment seemed to hit her like sand in the face.

“LYDIA, HELP!” Annabeth cried. But my legs didn’t want to move. It felt like everything was spinning, and like I suddenly weighed tons, and my tiny body wasn’t used to moving the weight of a whale. 

“I will kill you slowly!” Akhlys growled, her eyes and nose watering, blood dripping from her cheeks. “will cut you into pieces as a sacrifice to Night!” 

“Cuddly!” Percy yelled. “Fuzzy, warm and huggable!”

Akhlys made a growling, choking noise, like a cat having a seizure. “A slow death!” she screamed. “A death from a thousand poisons!”

All around her, poisonous plants grew and burst like overfilled balloons. Green-and-white sap trickled out, collecting into pools, and began flowing across the ground towards Percy. The sweet-smelling fumes made his head feel wobbly.

“Percy!” Annabeth’s voice sounded far away. “Lydia! Please—“ she sounded desperate, yet I still couldn’t do anything. “Uh, hey, Miss Wonderful! Cheerful! Grins! Over here!”

But the goddess of misery was now fixated on Percy. He tried to retreat again, but there was nowhere for him to go. He fell to one knee.

“You will feed the eternal darkness,” Akhlys said. “You will die in the arms of Night!”

Suddenly, it was like every muscle in my body was lit on fire. The white-green poison kept pooling around my legs, little streams trickling from the plants as the venomous lake around me got wider and wider.

I launched myself forward, and I managed to throw Akhlys off of Percy. How I did it, I didn’t know. I didn’t feel I was actually doing it, it was like my body was moving off of its own accord. Akhlys snarled and slashed her fangs in the air, but this time I was able to dodge it perfectly.

“Lydia— what are you doing?!” Annabeth screamed.

“Great question!” I cried back. But my own voice felt foreign, like I hadn’t been the one who spoke.

It was Percy who seemed to have an idea first. Just as I was luring Akhlys further away from them, the lake of poison exploded at my feet, and I screamed as I flew onto the floor. The poison shot up and began rolling steadily toward Akhlys like a gradually growing wave. 

Akhlys shrieked. “What is this?”

“Poison,” Percy said. “That’s your speciality, right?” He seemed angrier than I had ever seen him, but it was clear he was holding back as he moved the venom towards the goddess.

He was trying to asphyxiate her with her own poison.

But Akhlys didn’t seem to be as affected as he’d anticipated. She roared in fury and slapped her arms out, and I shielded my face as the poison was blasted through the air.

Suddenly, it was like my body knew what it had to do, and I knew I had lost complete control of it. I stood, and glared at Akhlys, before raising my arms.

The effect was instantaneous. Her eyes watered, and she let out a pained squeak as she held onto her chest.

“What— what is— what is this?” She gagged, her body shaking. 

“You know what it is?” I snarled, feeling my entire body fully strengthened in a way it had never been before. “That’s what it feels when your useless insides get fried.”

I curled my wrist and slowly brought my fingers together, miming a motion as if I was taking every last organ in her body all in my palm and slowly squeezing it to death.

Akhlys gagged again. “I—“ Venom seemed to be leaking out of the cuts alongside her blood. Her eyes bulged, but somehow, I couldn’t stop myself. I balled my fists together and slowly began bringing my arms together.

“STOP!” Akhlys managed, looking more in pain than she had been before, which was a great deal. She seemed desperate for escape. “No—“

“Lydia!” Annabeth screamed. She’d retreated to the edge of the cliff, even though I wasn’t a threat to her in any way. It took me a moment to realize she was terrified of me. Of me, and me alone. She hadn’t seen me do this before. “Lydia stop... stop...” her voice was hoarse. 

But I didn’t want to stop. “Can’t take it, can you?” I wasn’t sure if I was talking to Annabeth or Akhlys. “Tell me, how much misery is too much?” My fists were drawing nearer and nearer together, ready to meet in the center. With every centimeter, Akhlys seemed to be closer and closer to dying, if that was even possible for her. I was finding myself thrilled at the sight of her in pain.

“Lydia, stop!” It was Percy who spoke this time, but I didn’t look at him. 

_The Titan lord’s men drew their swords and charged at us, back in the fight on Williamsburg Bridge all those years ago when Luke was still the greatest threat we faced. The hooves of their skeletal horses thundered against the pavement. Our archers shot a volley, bringing down several of the enemy, but they just kept coming._

_“Retreat!” I yelled to the others. “Percy and I will hold them!”_

_Michael and the archers tried to retreat, but Annabeth stayed right beside Percy, now fighting with her knife and mirrored shield as we slowly backed up the bridge._

_Kronos’s cavalry swirled around us, slashing and yelling insults. The Titan himself advanced leisurely, like he had all the time in the world— which, he obviously did, what with him being the lord of time._

_I tried my best to wound and not kill the demigods that came onto me. That was only slowing me down, however._

_“Oh, Lydia,” Kronos said, his icy voice making the hairs on my arms stand up. “You’re only conditioned to kill, aren’t you? You’re not used to holding back that murderous force, are you?”_

_He wasn’t necessarily wrong. I was trained to annihilate on contact. Holding back a killing strike was definitely much more difficult._

_Annabeth, Percy, and I formed a sort of awkward triangle, staying shoulder to shoulder as we fought off everyone that came toward us._

_We were making progress, and were managing to push them back._

_We’d almost made it to the middle of the bridge when something happened. Behind me, Annabeth cried out in pain as Ethan stabbed her._

“STOP!” Annabeth wailed. “Lydia no— no— please! You need to stop!”

But I couldn’t. I felt more fury than before. I was angry that Annabeth couldn’t understand that I needed to protect us all. I felt angry that I had to take charge and keep us safe because all Percy and Annabeth cared about was each other, and not me. Angry that Percy hadn’t been strong enough to stop Akhlys by moving her poison. Angry that Lit wasn’t here, because now I was alone and no one seemed to give a shit. 

Kronos had been right about one thing. I was conditioned to kill. I had a murderous force.

I wasn’t about to shy away from it now.

“Shut up, Annabeth!” I snarled without thinking, my fists shaking hard as they grew closer and closer. Akhlys was wheezing, flailing around and now unable to speak. Her eyes looked ready to burst out of their sockets.

_“I’ve got you,” Percy promised as we faced the arai. He put his arm around Annabeth. The arai lunged at us, and I swiped, cutting through another completely, only to scream again, grabbing my chest. My heart felt like it was beating a million miles an hour, but it was painful, and my knees buckled._

_‘Oh yes, one of the worst curses,’ the arai said maliciously. ‘Enceladus. You ripped him apart with your mind only, Lydia Castellan. That murderous force you never could hold back....’_

_“Enceladus, look behind you!” Piper had yelled convincingly._

_He turned, like there might’ve been a giant spider on his back._

_Lit and Jason launched themselves at the giant’s legs at the right moment, slamming into the crater and sliding to the bottom. The boys both scrambled back up quickly, and I closed my eyes, visualizing the insides of the giant._

_It was probably the most murderous thing I’ve ever done up to this point, and you can thank Annabeth for discovering that I could see inside creatures and machines._

_I concentrated all my energy on Enceladus’s heart, and slashed my arms upward._

_The giant roared and grabbed his chest, his eyes bulging._

_“Your turn, Jason!” I said, stumbling back._

_He stepped forward and closed his eyes. Below us, Enceladus was gasping, as I’d practically torn his heart apart, and was making him leak ichor from the inside— something he could not easily fix._

_“HIT THE DECK!”_

_Lit grabbed me and slammed me to the floor, his body completely shielding mine from the blast that followed._

_Lightning cracked loudly and surged through Jason, and into the crater. The entire mountain rumbled and split, tearing apart the earth below us. Enceladus’s legs slid into the chasm. He clawed helplessness at the glassy sides of the pit, and just for a moment managed to hold on to the edge, his hands trembling._

_He fixed his eyes on me. “You have... won NOTHING... girl. My brothers are rising... and they are ten times as strong as I. We... will destroy the gods at their roots!” He licked his lips. “You are just... a murderer... you are no hero... this that you have done... is not a power of a demigod... you are a monster....you belong... in Tartarus... and you will DIE... and Olympus will die with—“_

_The giant lost his grip and fell into the crevice._

_‘Yes,’ the arai continued as I cried out in pain again, panicking because I couldn’t breathe. If this was how it felt for my heart to burst, I would have been dead in seconds, but now, it was just an infinite load of pain. ‘You remember that... he cursed that pain onto you. That darkness doesn’t go away...’_

_Khione turned to me, smirking wickedly at Hera, in her prison, them at me. “As for you. My my, aren’t you crafty. I can see why Lit likes you. He’s always enjoyed someone with a dark side, someone who is manipulative and scheming, and wants to twist the way others perceive things. Yes, in that aspect you are JUST like your father. You may not think you are dark, Lydia Castellan, but I think you are the darkest one here. You don’t think I watched you tear Enceladus apart with your mere mind? Well I did. And that is not something a demigod should be able to do. Gaea will not destroy me, but she will destroy you. You are not a force we want alive.”_

_I let out a pained scream, the pressure in my chest becoming unbearable. Annabeth was still blinded, and she was whimpering. I thought that might be it, but I heard Bob yell: “SWEEP!” and the arai vanished from the air._

“LYDIA!” Percy bellowed. “Lydia— ignore the flashbacks— please—“

“Percy shut up! You don’t know what I’m seeing!” I screamed, stomping my leg down. The sheer force made the entire ground tremble, and I had to bite back a curse as a bright light shot out. I thought maybe either Percy or Annabeth had attacked me, until I realized I was the one glowing.

The only problem was, the light was blazing red and not golden.

“LYDIA!” Annabeth sobbed. “STOP IT! LEAVE HER ALONE!” Her face was still pale and corpse-like, but her eyes were the same as always. The anguish in them was suddenly started to dawn on me. 

In an instant, I forgot what I was trying to do. My fists fell to my side, and Akhlys collapsed on the floor.

I winced, feeling my skin still burning. The ghoul gagged and scrambled away before I could say anything else, and slowly, the glow around me subsided.

Annabeth and Percy seemed afraid to come close.

“Lydia?” Annabeth asked cautiously. “Lydia, are you calm?”

I swayed on the spot, and looked down at my hands. All I could see was white smoke billowing around them. What had I just done? I blinked a few times, and for some reason, I still couldn’t remember what’d just happened.

“What’s— what’s going on?” I slurred. It felt like I was floating, and everything started glitching visually. It was like I was watching a movie and the screen got damaged. I could see Annabeth limping towards me, but her corpse-like figure was distorted, and she appeared in pieces, with a faint glow behind her.

“Lydia— Lydia breathe,” she urged as she moved closer. I looked at her, and started to hyperventilate. “Annabeth— I can’t— I can’t remember,” I cried desperately. “What— what just—“

Then suddenly, with the force of fifty giants, the memory came flooding back, and my own body betrayed me and threw me onto the ground.

Almost immediately, Annabeth and Percy dove forward, but I let out a scream and covered my face. “NO! GET AWAY!”

I sensed they moved away, and slowly, a deep pain began building up in my chest.

They were scared of me. Scared I was going to kill them. Scared I was going to lash out and rip them apart from the inside like I did to Akhlys. 

“Lydia I’m so sorry,” Annabeth said. Her voice sounded far away, like she’d kept retreating after I yelled. “This is my fault. I told— I told you— you might have this power— this way with the anatomy of everything. I just—“

“I could have killed her,” I breathed softly. “I— I could have— I could—“

Slowly, I sat up, but everything felt different. My body weighed significantly less. I felt my arms shaking, and even after blinking a few times, I couldn’t really see anything at all. I had fallen into the box created from the powers that I was cursed with at birth, and now I was locked inside, at the entrance of the labyrinth that was keeping me from being in my right state of mind.

I wasn’t me. I didn’t know who Lydia Evelyn Castellan was. My body was not my own. That was it, I was lost.

I could faintly hear Annabeth calling my name, but it was a million miles away.


	76. I Go Into Protective Boyfriend Mode

**Lityerses’s POV**

_Summer 2010_

The minute Lydia spoke, I almost jumped out of my skin.

It was July 23rd. We had found Lydia, Percy, and Annabeth on July 18th. I had thought that everything would be okay after that, I thought that I would feel complete and at peace again since I had my girlfriend back, and I would finally be able to tell her about Nico and what he had wished to say to her (since he had given me permission afterwards).

I soon realized everything had gone wrong.

“Bring her here!” Piper cried as I carried Lydia’s limp body to her bed. She seemed to be mumbling something incoherently, but her mouth was hardly moving. Her eyes were wild, unfocused, and she looked to be in pain.

I set her down gently, and almost immediately she began to thrash around wildly. “NO!” She screamed, kicking her legs out. “NO— NO!”

Annabeth immediately jumped back from where she’d been standing at the foot of Lydia’s bed, and Percy brought her into his arms. Piper launched herself forward to try and hold Lydia down, but Lydia let out a pained growl. “OFF! GET— GET—“ she could hardly form words. She was almost foaming at the mouth like a savage animal. For a second, I hardly recognized her. It wasn’t just the fact her shirt was torn to pieces and covered in blood, or that her hair was tangled and dirty. 

She looked insane.

Piper finally managed to hold her down enough for Hazel to swoop forward and put her hand on Lydia’s forehead. It calmed her almost immediately.

“I made the Mist show her no one is holding her down,” Hazel said cautiously. “Put her to sleep. Now.”

Piper leaned down immediately and whispered in Lydia’s ear, and almost immediately, Lydia’s eyes closed, and she began to breathe steadily.

I didn’t waste time moving forward and picking her head up gently for Piper to pour some nectar in her mouth. Lydia swallowed it, but her eyes hardly fluttered, like she didn’t feel she was being moved in her sleep. Like she wasn’t really here. 

Piper sat down on the floor, and she looked up at Percy and Annabeth, who still didn’t seem to want to say anything.

“Well?” I said a bit harshly. “Are you going to explain what the hell happened to her?”

Annabeth’s mouth moved, but no sound came out. Percy slowly tightened his grip on her. “She— she lost it,” he mumbled quietly. “After we met Akhlys... she stopped responding. Stopped talking. We would tell her to do things and she just would, but she wouldn’t talk to us. She didn’t fight anymore. Just stood and watched.”

“That explains nothing,” I countered. “I swear to all the gods—“

“Hey!” Piper snapped as the others came and sat down around where Lydia lay. “You’re not threatening anyone, Lit. We’re listening now.”

If she hadn’t charmspoken me, I doubt I would have listened. “Fine,” I muttered, crossing my arms.

“I suggest they first get cleaned up,” Hazel suggested meekly, her eyes brimming with tears. “Before we talk.”

Percy and Annabeth seemed to like this, and both quickly left the room. Piper and Jason followed them, probably to make sure they were okay.

I looked back at Lydia’s sleeping form. Even though she wasn’t conscious, she didn’t look at peace. She looked dead.

Nico stood and went to sit beside her, putting his hand on her forehead. “She’s nowhere near being dead. But her spirit is… blurry. Like it’s been disconnected from her body.”

“Disconnected from her body?” I asked, trying to hold back angry tears. “So what, she’s not there anymore?”

“She’s in there, somewhere. I just think that whatever she went through down there… she went insane. Literally.”

Hazel let out a soft sob, and covered her mouth. “No…”

“You… you can’t be serious,” Leo said, looking more stressed out than I had ever seen him, which was saying something. 

“We hear stories of demigods going insane,” Frank mumbled. “But… you never think…”

“I have to send her brothers an Iris message,” I said slowly. My hands were shaking. “I just—“

My body betrayed me, and I burst into tears. Hazel swooped forward to hold me, just like she had many times. 

When we had finally gotten Percy and Annabeth to tell us what happened, I was unprepared for what we ended up hearing. 

They began talking about how they arrived in Tartarus, and how they’d fallen into the River of Lamentation. Then they continued on to how they’d drank from the River of Fire and followed some vampire cheerleaders, then gotten attacked, and befriended a Titan. They had met a giant and some arai, Akhlys, Nyx, and finally, Tartarus himself. 

I couldn’t even believe what they had went through. It sounded like every nightmare I had ever had, rolled into one.

I put my head in my hands and let out a shaky breath. “So what the hell does this mean?” I asked hoarsely, hoping anyone would have an answer. I was already stressed enough with Nico, Reyna, and Hedge leaving, and now this was inconclusive. “What— what do we do?”

“I… I don’t know yet,” Piper said after a long silence, where everyone just seemed to be wondering for themselves. “Lydia’s the doctor here…”

“I can look in her textbooks,” Annabeth offered quietly. “There has to be some—“

“Don’t you think you’ve done enough?” I snapped without thinking. 

Annabeth flinched. “E-Excuse me?”

“How could neither of you have noticed that she was struggling, godsdamnit?” I said, standing up and slamming my hands on the table. My uneaten plate of food shook, and everyone jumped. “How didn’t you notice something was wrong? I’m no fucking doctor but I’m pretty fucking sure you should have noticed that she looked detached or hurt or confused or something!”

“We did ask her what was wrong and she just snapped at us!” Percy growled, standing up across from me. “She didn’t want our help!”

“Does that fucking mean you stop trying?” I forced myself to ignore the squeaks Hazel was letting out from how much I was cursing. “I knew from the start she was going to have to be third wheeling you, but I never thought it was going to lead to you not noticing something was wrong with her. YOU WERE IN THERE FOR A MONTH, AND YOU DIDN’T NOTICE UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE!”

“DON’T YOU REMIND ME ABOUT HOW LONG WE WERE IN THERE!” Percy snarled. “YOU WEREN’T THERE, YOU DON’T KNOW! YOU DIDN’T SEE WHAT WE SAW! WHY DIDN’T YOU JUST JUMP IN, IF YOU WERE SO PARANOID ABOUT IT? WE WERE ALL STRUGGLING DOWN THERE!”

I yanked Percy forward by the collar of his shirt, and the girls all shrieked. “Don’t you dare call me out for not jumping in,” I sneered, glaring daggers at him. “In case you don’t remember, I was holding all three of you from falling, and you were the one that basically forced Lydia to let go. I did everything I could. You may have struggled, but SHE WAS LOSING HER MIND! AND YOU WERE TOO WRAPPED UP WITH YOURSELVES TO NOTICE THAT!”

Jason had to yank Percy back before he could punch me, and Frank and Leo immediately leapt up to pull me back.

“DON’T BLAME IT ON US!” Percy roared, trying to make Jason let go of him. “YOU DON’T HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT IT WAS LIKE!”

“Percy.”

Annabeth’s meek voice was surprisingly heard from between the yells. She was crying, and her entire body was shaking. Percy seemed to calm down slowly, and she put her hands on his chest to sit him back down. Frank and Leo forced me back into my seat. 

Annabeth gulped and stood, staring at both of us. “I… I can admit maybe we were to blame,” she started.

“What? Annabeth, no!” Percy cried. “It’s not—“

“Stop,” she said. “Please.” She looked at me. “For as long as I’ve known Lydia, she’s always been so good at keeping her own emotions in check. Being independent. She was always there for me, she was my big sister. I’m so sorry that I didn’t do more to check on her, considering where we were. I let my view of her stop me from giving her the attention she needed. Yes, it was selfish. I… I admit I cared more about myself and Percy than I did her. I just thought she’d be fine… she always was.”

“Annabeth,” Percy whispered. “What are you—“

“I was aware that we were neglecting her,” Annabeth admitted, swallowing hard. “I knew it. I knew we were being unfair. I chose to ignore it, because I was certain she would be okay. I… I let go of her when I was holding onto her in the River Cocytus, and she almost drowned being overwhelmed by the sorrowful voices. I was completely aware that Percy and I kept walking together, holding hands and such… excluding her consistently. We admitted something to her that we’d kept secret— something important. And Percy… when we fought the arai…”

Percy tensed, and his knuckles tightened around the edge of the table.

“What about the arai?” I asked immediately.

“Shit,” Percy mumbled, his face going pale. “I didn’t think… I just…” he swallowed hard. “I forced her to keep fighting when she was in pain. I literally yanked her up, I told her I didn’t care if it hurt her, I called her a baby. She… well the arai cursed us with what we killed past monsters with… and she got… the one where her heart burst inside. She was in so much pain and I forced her to… but I didn’t think…”

He immediately dropped his head to his knees and held his head.

“You…” I couldn’t even continue my sentence. I couldn’t believe it.

“Lit, we’re so sorry,” Annabeth said immediately, her lips quivering. “We’re so, so sorry. We didn’t mean for it to happen. We tried… we asked if she was okay, but we didn’t push hard enough to make sure she was actually okay. I got scared of her, and I distanced myself. Tartarus just… it brought out the worst in us. Percy and Lydia they…” 

Whatever it was, it was bad enough she couldn’t even say it.

“We were tearing Akhlys apart,” Percy mumbled as he sat up. “That’s when Lydia lost it. She… she was protecting us, and she got so mad… I got so mad… and she basically tore Akhlys apart from inside. After that, she just followed us like a puppet. When she saw Nyx, she just stared. Even when we saw Tartarus, she didn’t really react. It was like her eyes didn’t register anything.”

“I’m sorry!” Annabeth said, tugging anxiously at her wrists. “We didn’t want her to get hurt so bad… we didn’t want her to get hurt at all…” she let out a loud sob and got up and bolted out. Percy followed her closely.

I immediately swiped my hand out and sent my plate flying across the room, standing up and letting out an angry yell. “FUCK!” I snarled, kicking my chair back, which made Frank and Leo move away. “Damn it…”

“Lit, look at me.”

Reluctantly, I turned to Piper. 

“Please don’t blame them forever,” she said quietly. “Lit… they were all suffering a lot. And Tartarus clearly did bring out the worst in them. Don’t hold it against them. Please. All that anger is just going to keep hurting you.”

“She’s lost, Piper!” I snapped, punching the table. “She’s— she’s right fucking there on her bed, and all she does is stare! SHE WON’T EVEN LOOK AT ME! If they had just…”

Even now, I’m not completely over my anger and resentment towards Percy and Annabeth. I know that when Lydia gets better, she won’t blame them. There’s no way she will. Maybe she’ll feel hurt, but she will never hold it against them. They’re practically her family. 

But I just can’t get over the fact they were so consciously dismissive of her because they were so used to her being the strong one all the time.

These past days have been terrifying and overwhelming for me. I’m worried sick about Lydia. She seems to be improving ever so slightly with Hazel and Piper’s charmspeak and the Mist, but that can only ease her so much. She’s consistently anxious, and wiggling, and saying undistinguishable things to me. It seems I’m the only one she actually recognizes, because at least now she’s calm around me and engages me in things she wants to do.

“Lydia, you have to eat.”

She was staring at the wall, and turned to me almost indignantly. She’s lost so much weight these past days, because the only thing she actually wants is nectar and ambrosia because it makes her feel better, and she’s neglecting any solid food. 

“Lydia, please,” I insisted, holding the bowl out to her. She shook her head and looked away, then pointed at the wall, before slumping back and staring at it again, as if she was watching television. At least now, she seems to kind of remember what her life was like. I think the ambrosia and nectar have improved her cognitive skills, but haven’t brought her back. 

She can’t walk. I’ve been trying to get her to move, but every time I urge her to sit on the edge of her bed, she just falls, like her legs have stopped responding. I think her mental injuries are a lot more severe than just insanity, despite insanity itself being only a legal term. Piper keeps insisting that we need to stop and find a mortal doctor, but we can’t spare any time. The others have been on smaller quests already, and I’ve been here with Lydia, continuously noticing how she will pat her legs rhythmically like she expects them to work just like that. 

She refuses to talk. The first day she recognized me, she seemed a bit excited, but when she opened her mouth, nothing came out. We assumed she couldn’t talk yet, and we mentioned it to her to try and get her to speak. She got overwhelmed and threw a fit, and now I’m pretty sure she can talk, but doesn’t want to because she either doesn’t trust us, or trust herself to form a proper sentence. 

She can’t read anything, either. She opens the books I bring to her whenever she points at her bookshelf, stares for a bit, before beginning to cry, like the words simply won’t be registered in her mind. I’ve been reading _The Stranger_ to her because it’s her favorite book, and it calms her enough to keep her from crying or thrashing around. But every time I catch her looking at the book, I see her face contort in pain like she’s getting headaches just from trying to internalize it all. 

“Lydia, if you don’t eat, I won’t read to you.”

At least now, it seems like she’s understanding what we say to her. She comprehends that she has to let me know when she needs to use the bathroom so I can call Piper or Hazel. They’re the only ones she lets in there with her. Annabeth hasn’t been available when she needs it, so I’m not sure she’d be allowed in. Lydia also knows that if she doesn’t do the little exercises we have where she points at certain things or makes certain motions to make sure she’s improving, she won’t be allowed to play with her pencils and paper. I don’t think she can write, but she spends hours just drawing crooked lines and lopsided circles, and it entertains her.

Sometimes, she goes into states where she’s moving her hands in a very specific manner. Annabeth thinks that she’s mimicking some surgical procedure, but we’re not entirely sure. All I know is that Lydia always has to close her eyes for it, and she can spend another series of hours moving her hands and mouthing something, like she’s giving orders.

I would never say it to her face, but she oftentimes reminds me of her mother.

I only met her a few times when we would go visit. Over time, she was deteriorating, and slowly, Lydia had to grow accustomed to always giving her a gold sticker. She used to only give them to her when she opened the door or recognized her, but May Castellan no longer recognizes her at all. She still throws paint at the wall with us whenever we go, but other than that, she just mutters strange things and twitches a lot.

I wish Hermes could come. Or Dionysus. Or Apollo. Or my mother.

My mother. I haven’t heard anything from her since before I left my father. Zoe hasn’t heard anything from her. I talk to her every day in front of Lydia. Travis and Connor have popped in to say hello, but Lydia doesn’t even recognize them, she just stares and nods every now and then. Even after Travis told her about how he and Zoe were hitting it off after he and Katie hadn’t worked out due to a mutual agreement that their friendship was more valued than a relationship, Lydia did nothing more than shrug, and go back to scribbling.

I wish the gods could intervene, could help. From what we estimate, Lydia is getting slightly better, but the progress is so slow, it’s making me lose hope.

Unfortunately, it made sense to me that someone would lose their mind. How is it that all these demigods can handle it? This big prophecy, several life changing quests… it was only a matter of time before someone lost it.

I didn’t think it would be this bad. I didn’t think it would be Lydia. 

She’s suffered so much more than most of us. When Luke left her at first, she was alone with her mother, who traumatized her. Then she was on the streets for a while, scared for her life. Then she lost Thalia. She lost so many more friends whose names I don’t know. Then after all this training and fighting, she lost Luke and Ethan. She watched her mother deteriorate. That’s not including all the severe injuries along the way, the incredible amount of power that could be devastating. And where were the gods? Who helped her? I have yet to find out of any god that truly helped. Even Hermes himself didn’t check in on her much after her brother died. 

It pains me to see her like this. So out of touch with the world. Unable to move properly, to talk, to write, to read, to do all the things she loved to do. I’m thankful that I’ve gotten close enough to Piper and Hazel to talk to them about it. They took care of me when Lydia wasn’t there, and now they’re doing so much to keep her alive and well.

I’ve been sleeping next to Lydia, which she seems to like, but even then it’s felt like I’m alone again. When she’s tired, she just curls up. Once I realized she truly recognized who I was, I started noticing she would gently put her hand on my side before tucking it under her head, as a sign that she wanted me to lay down with her. It comforts her, I think, but she doesn’t even sleep the same way she used to. She’s a rock now, unmoving, barely breathing. Before, she used to cuddle close, let out these cute little puffs from her mouth. 

“Lydia, eat, or no book.”

That’s how it was everyday, basically.

Until today.

I was sitting on her bed, as usual, waiting for her to finish doodling so I could try and get her to walk again. 

“I don’t understand why you people always make me eat so damn much.”

Two words into her sentence, I jumped and flew off the bed. I hadn’t heard her talk in so long, I had to do a double take. “Excuse me?” 

“I said, I don’t understand why you people always make me eat so damn much,” she said, staring blankly at me. “Really, it’s like you’re trying to fatten me for slaughter.” 

“Lydia… we just… we want you to eat,” I mumbled as I sat up and got settled beside her. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m… I don’t know.”

“You’re talking again.”

“I’ve been able to. I talk to myself when you go and get me food or go to use the bathroom. I just… I wasn’t ready to let you hear me.”

That, I could understand. “Do you feel… stable? A bit more relaxed? Any pain?” 

“No pain,” she mused. “Relaxed and stable... kind of. My mind stopped having the fuzzy images.”

“Fuzzy images?”

She hesitated, and immediately took my hand, gripping it stronger than I thought she was able to. “I saw… I heard… things. I was lost. I had to go through a labyrinth in my head. Took a few days… all the ambrosia and nectar. Everything seemed blurred. Time went by really fast, but also really slow. Sometimes things were muted. I felt frustrated and worried and just… scared. I kept forgetting who I was. I didn’t want to talk to you until I was sure I wasn’t going to spout out nonsense. I don’t know how to explain it.”

“It’s okay,” I said, squeezing her hand back. I moved closer, and almost immediately, she threw her arms around me, burying her face in my chest.

“Hey,” I whispered, rubbing her back. “It’s okay.”

I heard her let out a small sob, and felt her tremble, her small body gripping me like she was afraid someone was going to come rip her away. “J-Just h-hold me.”

That’s exactly what I did.

  
**A/N: Finally decided on a faceclaim for Lit! Unknown dude so far, I edited it to make his hair and eyes darker, but oh well. Sorry it took so long to update. What are your thoughts?**


	77. I Try To Go Back To Normal

**Lydia Castellan’s POV**

_Summer 2010_

I don’t know how many hours Lit spent holding me. All I know is that I cried so much, I felt completely physically drained after, and for the first time in awhile, I was hungry.

I leaned back and wiped my eyes, and gulped. “C-Can you bring me some soup please?” I asked softly. “But just a little bit. You guys try to overfeed me.”

Lit looked at me, and a small smile appeared on his face. “Of course.” He tucked his hand under my chin and tilted my head up before kissing my temple gently. “Do you need me to bring anything else?”

“Can you toss me my book? To see if I can read. Please and thank you.”

“Sure thing, princess,” he said softly before getting up. He went to my bookshelf and tossed me the little book he’d been reading to me, and then walked out the door.

I blushed and leaned back, feeling calmer than I had in a long, long time. I had cried and let out all the frustration and pain, and despite everything, I still had a boyfriend who loved me. I don’t know how I got that lucky.

I opened the book to the last page, just because the very last line was my favorite. _“For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate.”_

Is that not a complete masterpiece? When I first read _The Stranger_ in sixth grade, I didn’t appreciate how… well, for lack of a better term… how _nutworthy_ that last line is. Like…. Holy fuck.

But as I gazed down at the page, expecting my eyes to read the sentence I already knew from memory, I was startled by the fact that I was not seeing anything more than blurred smudges. 

Still? I thought the blurriness was gone. I had waited so long to talk to Lit, because I thought I didn’t have problems anymore, but now I am finding that everything is still unclear. I had purposely not looked at a book’s pages for two days, thinking when I looked again, I’d be able to see clearly.

I felt more anxiety, more frustration, another wave of mental pain coursing through my body. A chill went up my spine, and my fingers started twitching, and in an instant, everything I thought I had built up, fell apart.

I broke out into sobs even louder than before, and this time I couldn’t muffle it in Lit’s shirt. I grabbed the book and threw it across the room, not caring that the soft cover would likely be dented. It looked like someone had already thrown it anyway. I let out a cry of frustration, and kicked my legs out. For a second, I was elated, and nearly stopped crying, because I hadn’t been able to walk yet.

But when I swiped my legs out and stood to try and walk, thinking it would put me in a better mood, I was greeted with the harsh reality of the opposite truth, that I still couldn’t walk.

I crashed to the floor, and let out a cry of pain, wiggling my legs to no avail. “DAMN IT!” I screamed. “FUCK! YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! HAVEN’T I HAD ENOUGH? HAVEN’T I FUCKING SUFFERED ENOUGH?”

I don’t know who I was saying it to. The Fates? The gods? Who was really in charge of it all? Was I mad at myself? At Annabeth or Percy? 

I desperately clawed at the floorboards, trying to sit up, but I was facedown, and I couldn’t move. It was like I had turned into a bug flipped on its back, as if I had become Gregor in Franz Kafka’s _Metamorphosis_. Was this it? Had I wasted away? Was I no longer useful? Was death the only possible next step? Had my insanity turned me into the dung beetle that no one wanted to be around?

Just as I was about to slam my head against the floor in frustration, Lit came through the door, and set the soup down before rushing to my side and picking me up effortlessly, before placing me on my bed.

“NO!” I screamed. “NO! STOP! LET ME DIE, LET ME DIE!”

“No one is dying!” Lit said as he put a pillow under my head and then under my legs. “Lydia, please stop squirming…”

I let out a loud wail and shut my eyes tightly, feeling the need to break something. I wanted to cause pain again, just like I did with Akhlys. I was a monster, that was the only explanation. I really was Gregor. I was a dung beetle that everyone was disgusted with, ashamed of, and the only solution to end my misery would be to die. 

Lit sat down beside me and put his arms around me. Out of instinct, my arms wrapped around him and I began to sob again. “I can’t fucking read… I can’t walk… I’m useless!”

“You are most definitely not useless,” Lit said in my ear. “You’re just not at your prime right now.”

“Will I ever be back at my prime? Fuck… what if I can’t read ever again? I’m about to be a senior in med school! I’d have to give up my scholarship… Stanford… I’d never be able to be a surgeon! If I can’t walk or read or stay calm…”

“Hey, maybe all you need is to take it easy. What if your brain is doing this to hint that you’re not relaxing as much as you should? Maybe you need to sleep more. And eat more, you hadn’t been eating.”

I hesitated to try and counter him on what my brain was doing at the moment. I didn’t have the strength. And he was sort of right. I’d been neglecting food too much. “Fine…”

This seemed to make him happy. He got up to bring me the soup as I quickly dried my eyes. He propped me up and put my eating board (I think that’s what it’s called? Maybe I have more brain damage than I thought…) on my lap before placing the bowl there and handing me a spoon. Reluctantly, I took it and began to eat. I had been hungry when I asked for the soup, but now I was too distraught to actually feel hunger. 

It didn’t help that Lit was watching me eat. Usually, I wouldn’t care, but now he was making me eat everything. 

“You’re staring,” I said bluntly as I took another spoonful of soup.

“Yeah,” Lit said, looking at me with puppy dog eyes. “Is that a problem?”

“Maybe not for you.”

“What, you don’t want me to enjoy you eating soup?”

I blushed. “Well… I didn’t say that.”

“I never said that you said that.”

I raised my eyebrows at him, but cracked a small smile. 

Have I mentioned how much I love Lit?

“So… what happened today?” I asked, slurping a bit.

“Um, actually I don’t know. I keep hearing Nike screaming from the stables every time I step out. I haven’t kept too updated on the missions. Jason is completely better after getting impaled in Ithaca. Um.. no word from Nico, Reyna, and Hedge.”

“Nico,” I sigh. “I kept wondering every now and then… why he was staring at me so weird when we were with the twin giants. I mean, I didn’t pay much attention because I got stabbed, but something was off.”

At this, Lit seemed to grow excited. “I can tell you why,” he said. “Nico told me I could. He’s gay.” 

I paused, and narrowed my eyes. “You’re joking. He told you?”

“Well, he was forced to by Cupid in front of Jason and I. He admitted he had a crush on Percy and… well he said you were the first person he wanted to tell.”

Slowly, a smile formed on my face. “He’s gay… that’s so sweet. I finally have another person. Granted, the gay community doesn’t really like me, but still.”

“What?” he asked. “Why wouldn’t they like you?”

“Well there’s a thing called biphobia. Some would despise me and shun me for being in a relationship with a guy even though I’m bisexual and have the option not to.”

“What? That’s stupid. Everyone can do whatever they want and like whoever they want, I wish it wasn’t such a big deal. If you like girls and guys, more power to you. Like I told you before, it just meant I had to work extra hard because I had twice as much competition. As for Nico… he’s still a person and I wish everyone could be accepting so you two and so many others wouldn’t have to be so terrified of coming out. It’s unfair that people don’t understand or appreciate the fact that you’re simply identifying yourself. Same with those who are transgender, or non binary… or all those other terms. So what if they want to identify differently? So what if they choose certain pronouns? They can be whoever they want.”

For a minute, all I could do was stare at Lit. I couldn’t really explain what I felt inside me at first, but soon I knew exactly what it was, and I was no longer afraid to say it, no longer afraid to feel it, especially not when it was with him.

“Lydia?” he asked cautiously. “Are you okay?”

“I love you, Lit,” I said. It wasn’t a whisper anymore, it wasn’t a series of words I spoke only when he was asleep, and it definitely wasn’t a statement I laid out as I was plunging to what I thought would be my certain death. It was the truth. “I love you, so very much.”

Slowly, the smile on his face grew, and the next thing I knew, he moved forward and cupped my face before crashing his lips onto mine. I immediately kissed back, my fingers running into his curly hair to pull him closer. I hoped we didn’t send the soup bowl flying. 

Lit pulled away, and held my cheeks, smiling like he’d won the lottery. “I love you, Lydia Castellan. I have loved you for so long and I’m… I’m so happy you love me too.”

With that, he kissed me again.

________

When we finally managed to stop kissing, and I finished my soup, Lit helped me stretch and massage my legs for a bit to get some feeling back in them, before laying down with me. I curled up, and he spooned me from behind, his hands draped carefully around my body, and his head tucked on my shoulder.

I fell asleep relatively quickly, but it was what followed that fucked up my good mood. 

I hadn’t dreamt since the day Lit and I shared a dream when I’d been in Tartarus. Now, I was in the Acropolis, somewhere I had never been but had wanted to see before. I recognized it from the pictures: an ancient stronghold perched on a hill almost as impressive as Gibraltar, though of course I’m not the biggest fan of Gibraltar thanks to Hercules’s bitchass.

The Acropolis, beautiful as I had always seen it, rising four hundred feet over the night-time sprawl of modern Athens, the sheer cliffs were topped with a crown of limestone walls. On the clifftop, a collection of ruined temples and modern cranes gleamed silver in the moonlight. The dream shifted, and suddenly I was flying over the Parthenon– the ancient temple of Athena, the left side of its hollow shell encased in metal scaffolding. The Acropolis seemed devoid of mortals, perhaps because of the financial problems in Greece. Or perhaps Gaea’s forces had arranged some pretext to keep the tourists and construction workers away.

My view zoomed to the center of the temple. So many giants had gathered there it looked like a cocktail party for redwood trees or something. I had imagined myself one day in the future at some sort of medical conference, full of doctors. This was like that, except the giants were definitely not doctors.

I recognized a few of them, unfortunately. The horrible twins from Rome: Ephialtes and Otis, now dressed in matching construction worker outfits. There was Polybotes, who I vaguely remembered seeing in Tartarus, with poison dripping from his dreadlocks and a breastplate sculpted to resemble hungry mouths. Worst of all, Enceladus, the giant who had kidnapped Piper’s dad, manipulated her, and cursed me after I tore him apart from the inside. His armour was etched with flame designs, his hair braided with bones. His flagpole-sized spear burned with purple fire. As I looked at him, I felt a weird tension in the air beside me, like a ghost was there, infuriated by what I was seeing. For a minute, I debated it, but I leaned over awkwardly and sniffed the air. When a heavenly scent hit me, I knew it was Piper who I was sharing the dream with this time. What's with me sharing dreams with people? Regardless, it made sense why I felt tension. Enceladus was her biggest enemy.

The thing about this cozy little reunion was that I knew for sure that each giant was born with the purpose of opposing a particular god or goddess, but the thing was, there were way more than twelve giants gathered in the Parthenon. I counted at least twenty and, if that wasn’t intimidating enough, around the giants’ feet milled a horde of smaller monsters– Cyclopes, ogres, six-armed Earthborn (I still can’t pronounce their name either), and serpent-legged dracaenae. In the centre of the crowd stood an empty, makeshift throne of twisted scaffolding and stone blocks apparently yanked at random from the ruins. 

As I watched, a new giant lumbered up the steps at the far end of the Acropolis. He wore a massive velour tracksuit with gold chains around his neck and greased-back hair, so he looked like a thirty-foot-tall mobster– if mobsters had dragon feet and burnt-orange skin. The mafia giant ran towards the Parthenon and stumbled inside, flattening several Earthborn under his feet. He stopped, gasping for breath at the foot of the throne. 

“Where is Porphyrion?” he demanded. “I have news!”

Enceladus stepped forward. “Tardy as usual, Hippolytos.” The giant’s name was sounding really familiar, but I couldn’t place it. “I hope your news is worth the wait. King Porphyrion should be….” The ground between them split. An even larger giant leaped from the earth like a breaching whale. 

“King Porphyrion is here,” announced the king. He looked just as I remembered from the Wolf House in Sonoma. Forty feet tall, he towered over his brethren. In his seaweed-coloured braids, captured demigod weapons glittered. His face was cruel and pale green, his eyes as white as the Mist. His body radiated its own sort of gravity, causing the other monsters to lean towards him. Soil and pebbles skittered across the ground, pulled towards his massive dragon feet. 

The mobster giant Hippolytos kneeled. “My king, I bring word of the enemy!”

Porphyrion took his throne. “Speak.”

“The demigod ship sails around the Peloponnese. Already they have destroyed the ghosts at Ithaca and captured the goddess Nike in Olympia!”

The crowd of monsters stirred uneasily. A Cyclops chewed his fingernails. Two dracaenae exchanged coins like they were taking bets for the End-of-the-World office sweepstake. 

Porphyrion, however, just laughed. “Hippolytos, do you wish to kill your enemy Hermes and become the messenger of the giants?”

That’s who it was. It was the bane of Hermes, the giant born to oppose my father. Immediately, I felt a surge of anger, and energy, like I was completely rejuvenated. I was reminded of being in Tartarus, and how I had continuously felt this horrible, overwhelming feeling of a need to kill, to cause harm. I wanted to go challenge the giant myself, which probably wouldn't have worked at all since I can't walk. 

“Yes, my king!” Hippolytos cried enthusiastically.

“Then you will have to bring fresher news. I know all this already. None of it matters! The demigods have taken the route we expected them to take. They would have been fools to go any other way.”

“But, sire, they will arrive at Sparta by morning! If they manage to unleash the makhai–” 

“Idiot!” Porphyrion’s voice shook the ruins. “Our brother Mimas awaits them at Sparta. You need not worry. The demigods cannot change their fate. One way or another, their blood shall be spilled upon these stones and wake the Earth Mother!” 

The crowd roared approval and brandished their weapons. Hippolytos bowed and retreated, but another giant approached the throne. 

Well shit, this one looked female. The giantess had the same dragon-like legs and the same long braided hair. She was just as tall and burly as the males, but her breastplate was definitely fashioned for a woman. Her voice was higher and reedier. 

“Father!” she cried. “I ask again: Why here, in this place? Why not on the slopes of Mount Olympus itself? Surely–” 

“Periboia,” the king growled, “the matter is settled. The original Mount Olympus is now a barren peak. It offers us no glory. Here, in the centre of the Greek world, the roots of the gods truly run deep. There may be older temples, but this Parthenon holds their memory best. In the minds of mortals, it is the most powerful symbol of the Olympians. When the blood of the last heroes is spilled here, the Acropolis shall be razed. This hill shall crumble, and the entire city shall be consumed by the Earth Mother. We will be the masters of Creation!”

The crowd hollered and howled, but the giantess Periboia didn’t look convinced. “You tempt fate, Father,” she said. “The demigods have friends here as well as enemies. It is not wise–” 

“WISE?” Porphyrion rose from his throne. All the giants took a step back. “Enceladus, my counsellor, explain to my daughter what wisdom is!” 

The fiery giant came forward. His eyes glowed like diamonds. “You need not worry, princess,” Enceladus said. “We have taken Delphi. Apollo was driven out of Olympus in shame. The future is closed to the gods. They stumble forward blindly. As for tempting fate…” He gestured to his left, and a smaller giant shuffled forward. 

He had ratty grey hair, a wrinkled face and eyes that were milky with cataracts. Instead of armour, he wore a tattered sackcloth tunic. His dragon-scale legs were as white as frost. He didn’t look like much, but I noticed that the other monsters kept their distance. Even Porphyrion leaned away from the old giant. 

“This is Thoon,” Enceladus said. “Just as many of us were born to kill certain gods, Thoon was born to kill the Three Fates. He will strangle the old ladies with his bare hands. He will shred their yarn and destroy their loom. He will destroy Fate itself!”

King Porphyrion rose and spread his arms in triumph. “No more prophecies, my friends! No more futures foretold! The time of Gaea shall be our era, and we will make our own destiny!”

The dream dissolved, and I woke with a start, panting softly. Lit snored in my ear, and I found that it relaxed me, even though it also threatened to blow up my eardrum. 

I had to admit, the part about no prophecies sounded nice. Two major prophecies in my life, and everything had been torn apart. My family, my friends, my own mind. I didn’t really feel like having any more prophecies spouted.

But I knew that it could not continue that way. And what was that, about Apollo being driven out of Olympus in shame? I felt terrible. He had helped us when we searched for Artemis and Annabeth, he had helped me personally when I was recovering after losing Luke and Ethan. I wanted to talk to him, but I wasn’t sure how. 

I squirmed a bit in Lit’s arms, and looked over at the clock I still had hanging in my room. It had to be morning already, and I knew immediately that I couldn’t keep quiet about it. 

“Lit…” I shook his arm. “Lit… wake up.”

He groaned and tightened his grip around my waist, pressing himself onto me as if that was meant to convince me to stay for a bit longer.

“Lit, sleepyhead, come on, wake up.”

“Mm… five more minutes.”

“I don’t think we have five minutes, Lit. Come on.”

He didn’t seem to want to listen. I did my best and started going through the list of pet names we used, nudging him repeatedly. Calling him ‘baby’ helped the least, because he just whined and held on, like an actual baby. But after several tries, one particular name perked him up.

“Is this an emergency?” he asked tiredly, though he seemed alert enough, and he was staring at me curiously.

“Yes. And sorry to tell you this, but you’re going to have to carry me up all the way to the dining hall. Everyone needs to hear this.”


	78. I Get My Bearings Back... A Bit

Once Lit had carried me up and the others had been gathered, I told them about my dream, only to find out Piper really had been in there with me. As she finished off the explanation, the ship’s toilets exploded, because she proposed Annabeth, she, and I would go.

“No way you three are going down there alone,” Percy said, his eyes blazing. As his gaze darted to me, they seemed to get almost fiery, like he was either worried or just lacking faith.

Leo sprinted down the hall waving a wrench. “Man, did you have to destroy the plumbing?” Percy ignored him. Water ran down the gangway. The hull rumbled as more pipes burst and sinks overflowed. I guessed that Percy hadn’t meant to cause so much damage, but his glowering expression made me want to leave the ship as soon as possible before it overflowed, though soon enough my nerves calmed down. I had seen him worse in Tartarus.

 _I_ had been worse in Tartarus.

“The only thing I have an objection to here is the fact you want Lydia to go,” Lit said. “There’s no way. No offense, princess, but you can’t walk.”

“Yeah, I know,” I agreed. “I guess I had the dream for a reason, maybe to show that I’m better, but there is absolutely no way I’m going. I can’t.”

This seemed to make Annabeth unhappy, but Piper put a gentle hand on her arm. “I looked into Katoptris as soon I woke up. Lydia wasn’t in the vision, I just suggested it because she had the dream too, but maybe it is better that only you and I go. It’s what needs to happen.”

“Okay,” Percy said, though he still looked worried. “And this Mimas dude? I’m guessing he’s a giant?”

“Probably,” Piper said. “Porphyrion called him our brother.”

“Mimas is the bane of Hephasestus,” I said helpfully. Percy didn’t even look at me, which I found to be strange. 

“And a bronze statue surrounded by fire,” he continued. “And those ... other things you mentioned. Mackies?”

“Makhai,” I offered again. “Not Mackie, like Anthony Mackie, the one that’s in She Hate Me and Notorious.”

Again, Percy didn’t look at me, and neither did Annabeth, which made me frown. Lit seemed to tense beside me, like he had noticed it too. 

“Makhai,” Piper repeated. “I think the word means battles in Greek, but I don’t know how that applies, exactly.”

“That’s my point!” Percy said. “We don’t know what’s down there. I’m going with you.”

“No.” Annabeth put her hand on his arm. “If the giants want our blood, the last thing we need is a boy and a girl going down there together. Remember? They want one of each for their big sacrifice.” 

“Then I’ll get Jason,” Percy said. “And the two of us—“

“Seaweed Brain, are you implying that two boys can handle this better than two girls?”

“No. I mean... no. But—“

Annabeth kissed him. “We’ll be back before you know it.” Piper followed her upstairs quickly, and the two disappeared, probably to avoid the lower deck before it flooded with toilet water.

Jason looked up from his food, probably having been confident enough in Piper to let her go. “Lydia, nice to see you up and about.”

“Not really up and about,” I said, shrugging. “Lit has to carry me.”

“Don’t you worry about that,” Lit assured, pushing a plate of pancakes toward me. “It’s a work out for me.”

I was about to say something, when I noticed Percy left, which made me frown. “I swear to the gods, I’m going to run him through with Slasher. What’s his problem?”

“Percy’s just worried,” Hazel said calmly. “So, I assume you’re feeling well enough if you were able to make it up and you’re eating now.” She eyed my slowly diminishing stack of pancakes.

“Yes, I am feeling better. Still can’t read or walk, but better. I haven’t tried writing yet, but I’m sure it’ll be illegible.”

“Don’t get discouraged. As sucky as the nightmare probably was, it’s a really good sign that you’re dreaming again.”

“It probably is a good sign. Just wish I could heal a lot faster, you know?”

“I get it,” Jason agreed with a short laugh. “I, too, keep getting hurt and it’s murder trying to recover.”

A wry smile played out on my lips. He was comparing getting stabbed a few times to me losing my mind? _“I have also been impaled, Jason Grace, with Kronos’s scythe. And stabbed with poison scimitars and Narcissus’s arrow and a giant’s spear and too much more to count,”_ I wanted to say, but I held back. Not a time to be snarky or precise. He was just trying to empathize or sympathize, I guess. 

“Yeah,” I said, half smiling before downing the rest of my stack.

“You know what I find really cool?” Frank asked. “That you keep being able to share dreams with people.”

“It’s always been a norm for me. I used to share dreams with Annabeth when we would be sleeping in an alley. With Percy once we went on quests. Then while I was in Tartarus, with Jason and Lit. Now Piper. Seems the nightmares just like including me to screw me over.”

“Maybe you just have too much brain power,” Lit said thoughtfully as Jason noisily munched on a bagel. “Or maybe your spirit just likes to be involved, I don’t know.”

“Let’s go with too much brain power. I’m finding that everything I was granted as a baby was an actual curse. I hate it. I don’t want it anymore. Besides, I don’t use my powers often enough. I don’t want to use certain ones ever again.”

The four demigods in front of me winced, and looked awkwardly at each other. 

“Whatever it is, you can say it,” I muttered bluntly.

“Well, are you sure you still have your powers?” Hazel asked cautiously. “Mind you, I’m not urging you to try it out right now. But what if you have too much damage and your demigodness… is limited?”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “I dunno, maybe. I think I got lucky with all of you guys helping me out, I healed decently fast. It might be limited now that all my stored power was used to help me be sane again. Might be why I can’t walk or read.”

“Regardless of what you do or don’t have, you’re still super badass,” Lit said matter of factly. “That is the truth.”

I blushed, and he kissed me again. Hazel sighed. “This is almost cathartic for me. Seeing you both like that.”

“Everything has been cathartic for me lately,” I said with a hoarse chuckle. “Purgative too. Lots of crying, but it feels pretty good. It’s like I went from being gone, to returning aloof, and transitioning into a placated state before ending up sort of normal again. It’s almost like the gods wanted to perpetuate my insanity, but then decided against it.”

I was unsure why all four of them stared at me strangely, until Jason cleared his throat. “Sorry, I didn’t know the meaning of all of those words. Placated?”

“Oh, like I became less hostile and distant,” I said, my cheeks burning more.

“Well that’s a sure sign she’s getting to be normal again,” Frank noted. “She’s using big words and stuff again.”

“Definitely,” Hazel added.

I didn’t stay much longer than that. As soon as I finished my breakfast, Lit carried me back to my room and helped me get settled comfortably into my bed.

“What would you like to do, milady?” he asked as he flopped face down onto the bed.

“Hmm.. maybe just talk for now.”

“Alright. Well, if you noticed, I’m getting better at coming up with little theories. I don’t know if they count as theories… I just guessed Nico was gay before Cupid made him admit it, then now I guessed maybe your mega big brain power leads to you being able to share dreams so often. I just remember that you’re really good at making theories for things. It’s what Annabeth would tell me when we first met.”

I let out a soft laugh. “You’re smart, Lit. You figure things out because you notice things. I’m proud of you.” I reached my hand out to stroke his hair, which I noticed made him come cuddle closer to me. 

“So,” he said, “why did you call me that this morning to wake me up?”

“What, you mean when I called you Megatron Muffin Top? That’s what made you perk up.”

Lit rolled his eyes. “I was confused. I thought I was still dreaming, until you talked after that. You’ve never called me Megatron Muffin Top before.”

“Well, I went through our usual pet names and you weren’t reacting so I started getting creative. I still can’t believe you didn’t react when I called you ‘my prince.’”

“Shut up, you’ve only called me that a few times and I was drowsy.”

“Well, you call me your princess. I was just doing the same… ish.”

“Should’ve just punched me, I was too exhausted to react to anything.”

“You reacted to Megatron Muffin Top.”

Lit just smirked and lay his head on my chest, and I continued to twirl strands of his hair in my fingers. I was slightly worried about Piper and Annabeth, and annoyed with Percy, which must have made me pull too hard, because Lit let out a whine like a puppy.

“Sorry,” I mused. “I’m distracted.”

“Talk to me then, baby. I’m listening.”

“Just… when Percy left earlier, it didn’t sit well with me.”

Lit frowned, and sat up. “Look, he and Annabeth have been feeling pretty guilty since you returned. I admit… I got really mad at them. Maybe he’s just not sure how to say he’s sorry.”

“Well… I don’t really blame them… not that much, anyway. Annabeth has been fine with me... kind of. Hesitant to approach but she helps when she’s here and she was fine earlier.... actually not really but better than Percy, I think.”

“Um, well Percy told us about how he forced you to keep fighting the arai and to be honest, even Hazel seemed pissed about that the following day when Frank brought it up, so maybe that’s what’s stopping him most.” 

I sighed, deciding that it was too taxing at the moment to try and figure out Percy’s motives for ignoring me. “They did make me feel ostracized, but I don’t really blame them anymore. I’m better now. I lost a few days… but I’m okay.”

Lit seemed to like this, and moved closer to kiss me. “That’s my girl. Now, what do you want to do?”

“Hmm… what should we do? Maybe we can try and do some walking. More like, I attempt to walk and you be prepared to catch me.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Lit chirped, getting up and taking my hands. “Come on, try and scoot to the edge of the bed, then stand.”

Okay, I definitely wasn’t prepared to do it right at that very moment, but once I set up the premise… Lit ran with it.

“Warning,” I said as I gripped his hands and shimmied toward the edge. “I’m still very precarious about this.”

“Remind me what precarious means?”

“Basically that I’m still insecure. It embarrasses me that I can’t do the simplest things.”

“Don’t put yourself down like that. Come on, up you go.”

I whined slightly, and planted my feet on the ground, before slowly pressing my weight on the balls of my soles, and did my best to stand. I immediately collapsed forward into Lit, who swiftly held me up.

“You’re okay,” he said, holding me steady. “Follow my lead.” He wrapped his arms entirely around me, and walked backwards slowly, pulling me with him. For the first few inches, I let my feet drag, but then lifted my foot, taking a shaky step as he kept going.

“Does it hurt?” Lit asked, peering down at me. 

“No…” I said, resting my forehead on his chest as my legs shook. “I just need a bit of practice. Haven’t used my feet in awhile, and they need to recondition themselves.” 

“Alright. Take all the time you need.”

I nodded, and took a small break before beginning to move my feet again. Lit continued to take more steps back, and I mirrored him, gripping him tightly to hold myself upright.

I was grateful the instant I felt my legs cease their trembling. I released my hold slightly, then pulled a bit away, taking my steps a bit faster. 

“Good,” Lit praised. “Very good. Your steps were a little crooked earlier, and now they’re completely straight.” 

“Completely straight, unlike me,” I murmured, which made Lit chuckle.

“That’s how I know you’re slowly getting back to normal,” he noted as he continued to lead me around the room.

It didn’t take much longer for me to be able to walk on my own. I even took a few faster steps, and jogged in place for a few seconds. I lifted my legs sideways to check my equilibrium, and found that it adjusted itself.

“Perfect,” Lit said. “Really, really good. See? Maybe the soup from yesterday helped.”

“Or you did,” I countered. “You’re the one who helped me and the one who got me the soup in the first place.”

He blushed, and I tiptoed to kiss him, which made him hold my waist. “What would you like to do now?”

“Hmm… maybe some training? Just light exercises. Knife throwing, maybe? I can’t read or write yet so I don’t want to even touch that subject. Maybe working on knives will help my fingers get back to normal.”

“Of course, milady.” He went to my dresser and opened one of the drawers to extract my knife belt, before going to fix the target on the wall.

For the first time, I noticed how dented and damaged the wall was. Had it always been like that? No, impossible. That had to be recent. Had I done that when I wasn’t all there? No, that couldn’t be possible either since I couldn’t really move.

Lit caught me staring, and flushed. “Sorry. While you were down there, I used it to vent my anger. Punched the wall, threw knives really hard. I was training like crazy and just hurting myself.”

“Oh, Lit,” I sighed, looking sadly at him.

“Don’t you worry, pretty girl. I’m okay now. Just, sorry about your wall.”

“I’m not worried about the wall. I’m concerned about you. I’m sorry— I haven’t even asked how you’ve been feeling.”

“Hey.” He put his hands firmly on my shoulders. “I am okay. I’m ecstatic now that you’re back. I wasn’t okay when you were gone, but Piper and Hazel helped me out. And Zoe, of course. Right now, my focus is on you. You’re the one I care about most.”

I let my head fall to the side so my cheek could brush against the back of his hand. “I love you.”

The same giddy smile from yesterday wound up back on his face. “I love you too.”

We did end up throwing knives for awhile, which made me very pleased, since I was still able to do a pretty good job at it. I noticed Lit had most definitely improved as well.

It made me sad to think of him, here, pounding the wall out of frustration, hurting himself, all for the sake of not hurting anyone else. How I wished that some part of all of this (maybe several parts) could be changed. Why had everything transpired this way? What had we done to deserve such misery? Why had we been damned with such a quest? A task so daunting that we weren’t very optimistic. The last prophecy had ruined my life, and I barely recovered, and this prophecy had now done the same. Would I ever return to how I was? Would Lit? Would anyone else? 

“Lydia?”

I blinked and turned to him. “What?”

“You zoned out for a bit,” Lit said gently, smiling in my direction. “It’s your turn.”

I nodded slowly, and after I gathered my bearings, I stepped forward and threw, hitting the center once more.

“You remember the last time we did this?” Lit asked as I casually moved forward to retrieve my knife as a sort of mini exercise.

“Kind of,” I said, furrowing my eyebrows. “Memories before Tartarus are still slightly fuzzy.”

For some reason, this made him smirk, and for a moment, he looked almost intimidating, until I realized what approach he was going for. 

As he walked toward me, my brain was just screaming _‘sexy time’_ because one, that’s how weird my brain is, and two, because I was slowly remembering exactly what had happened last time we had been like this. 

_Lit had challenged me to make another ring around his body with knives, and I accepted immediately. He stood by the wall, and I threw without hesitation, leaving one knife lodged about an inch over his longest strand of hair, another near his right middle finger, the next a centimeter from his pinky, and the last dangerously close to his manhood between his legs._

_His eyes sparkled mischievously. “What was that last one for?”_

_“You said around your body, so I technically got the four cardinal points,” I said innocently._

_“Did you now?” He came away from the wall, his eyes flashing in a way I’d never seen them flash before._

_I gulped a bit, wondering what he was thinking. “I-I wasn’t going to hurt you—“_

_“Oh, I know you weren’t.”_

_In an instant, he’d picked me up and tossed me on the bed, making me shriek as he abruptly slammed his lips against mine._

_All training was forgotten. I sucked in a long breath and kissed back, as his hands began sliding down to hold my hips, every now and then tracing circles across them. My hands immediately moved from his muscular arms to the back of his neck and then his cheeks before slipping to tangle through his curly hair. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as he pressed himself close to me. My stomach had a strange jumpy feeling, and I didn’t understand what I was feeling until it all clicked, and I had the urge to tear his clothes off, which I’d never had before. The feeling of him kissing me was so intoxicating that I knew right then and there what I wanted, and how far I wanted to go._

_It was like my hands had a mind of their own. Without hesitation I pulled at his shirt, and before I knew it, I was wearing nothing but my bra and underwear while Lit was in his boxers. My eyes were shut, and I let out a loud moan as Lit attached his lips to my neck, his hands caressing my thighs and spreading my legs to have them wrap around his waist. I didn’t object, and coiled them tightly around him, gasping a bit when I felt not only a difference near my own core, but also when I felt something of his pressing against me._

_“Lydia,” he panted softly as he began to grind against me, emitting another loud, guttural moan from my throat. “I—“_

_“Shut up and keep going,” I choked immediately, my nails departing from where they’d been digging into his shoulders to reach behind me and unclasp my bra before throwing it across the room. Without thinking, I looped my fingers through my underwear and kicked it off._

_I opened my eyes just in time to see Lit’s face turn beet red as he looked over my body. He let out a shaky breath, biting his lip, and his hand traced down, caressing the exposed parts of me he’d never gotten to see before. It made me shiver and moan, and Lit gulped visibly as he continued to touch me. “Lydia are you sure—?” He asked uncertainly. I nodded, and grabbed for the hem of his boxers, looking into his eyes._

_I feel like the knock on the door that followed was punishment for me succumbing to my impulses. I shrieked as Lit suddenly pressed onto me to shield my body from the view of Piper, who opened the door probably thinking we were still training._

_“Holy Hera!” She screamed, her hands flying to cover her eyes. “Doors have locks for a reason!”_

_“Piper, you just opened it without waiting for approval!” I cried as I scrambled to put my clothes back on._

_“Just— hurry up and change— oh gods— Percy’s back!”_

_She sprinted away, and with a loud whine, I got up to get dressed._

_Lit looked like he’d seen a ghost as he watched me go retrieve my bra from where it landed on the floor. “Y-You wanted—?”_

_“Yes, I did,” I muttered shamelessly. “But I guess it’ll have to wait....”_

_I wish Piper hadn’t interrupted it before it started._

“You remember, don’t you?” He purred as he slowly (and very gently, because that’s Lit for you, especially when I’m injured) pushed me against the wall, taking my wrists and pinning them on either side of my head. I could vaguely remember that this was like something straight out of a movie, but soon after, I couldn’t even think of any of that, because Lit had leaned down to press his lips hard against mine.

I let out a gasp first, then a low moan, my body tingling again in a way I never thought I’d feel after that time. It was shocking that the same high, the same blissful feeling was returning and making me feel like I was floating. The smell of Lit’s cologne filled my nostrils, and I sighed as the essence of mint filled my sinus cavity, making me feel relaxed, and safe.

Lit slowly pulled away, and pressed his forehead on mine. “I’m sorry— I got carried away.” He paused for a bit. “Do you want to do this?” 

“It’s okay,” I breathed, my eyes still closed. “I just… I’m not sure I’m ready anymore. I was, before. Gods… I really was ready. But now… I still haven’t fully gotten my… well, everything back. I don’t trust my body enough. I’m sorry. My answer is no.”

“Hey.” He cupped my face and tilted it up to look him in the eyes. “Don’t apologize for that. Don’t ever feel obligated to do something, no matter how intimate, with me. You can always say no, and I will respect that. I want you to feel safe around me. No one should force you into something you don’t want to do. Even if we’re already halfway there… or just starting… or whatever… you can always say no and I’m not going to hold it against you.”

“Same goes for you,” I said immediately, feeling teary eyed already. I couldn’t believe that I had gotten lucky enough to get someone so understanding in areas where other people wouldn't be. “I know you’re the one with experience, but you can always say no too.”

I paused for a second and let out a soft sigh. “I want to. I do. But I’m afraid to be vulnerable again. In Tartarus… the powers that I thought made me stronger… were my downfall. Now, I don’t even want to try to use them. And I don’t want to feel weak and depleted again. I need time to build up confidence and security again.”

“I never would have expected your powers to be a weakness,” he mumbled, caressing my cheeks. “Zoe thought that it would make you stronger. Used it to rationalize me not jumping in. Said that us children of Demeter and Apollo and whoever who represent life would be weaker. And that you three would be able to survive much easier.”

“Well, she’s partly right. We did survive. Just… things didn’t go as planned at all.”

“When do things ever go as planned?” He asked before pecking my lips yet again.

For a moment, all I could do was look at him. But slowly, I tiptoed and kissed his cheek. “I’m glad that I have you. I don’t think I would have made it otherwise. I love you, Lit.”

“I love you, Lydia.”

**A/N: Sorry for not updating for awhile, I wasn't feeling well. Thoughts on this chapter?**


	79. I Reconcile With Ice Cream

There wasn’t much time to really relax because next thing, some lady named Kymop… you know what, I’m going to stop before I confuse myself. Kym showed up and now the ship was damaged but no, even with working legs, Lit insisted that the others had it under control.

“I can help,” I whined, wiggling my legs as I held my sword. “Please.”

“No. You’re not ready. They can handle it, okay?”

Despite my protests, I wasn’t allowed to go up. Instead, Lit seemed to fabricate a sort of lesson plan for me, that begun with some walking and yoga, then some jogging in place, some dancing that was really atrocious but fun all the same, and finally speech work.

The ship rocked as he displayed his very hastily drawn cards, showing a picture of an object (mostly food, but why am I even surprised?) along with the word under it. Initially, I didn’t think that it would do much because I could just look at the picture and name what he was showing me, but then I realized that as the cards flew by, I was actually reading the words and connecting it to what I recalled from looking at the pictures.

Needless to say, on the morning of the third day after Kym’s attack (once we had helped Leo fix the ship so the Argo II wouldn’t be so vulnerable to the bazillion other monster attacks we had over those days), I was able to read and write properly.

Lit was the mastermind behind it all. He divided my days between working on mechanical things and talking to Leo, having small training sessions before going out to help fight some hungry sea serpents every other hour. He had me practice reading simple sentences, and soon enough, I was able to read the final line in _The Stranger_ all by myself and add some extra annotations to the book without trembling hands. 

“Very good,” Lit said proudly as I set down my pen. “You’re basically back to normal, hmm? Back in fighting condition, and you were able to work on some of your med school work without a strain.”

“You’re the best,” I told him immediately, getting up from my bed and throwing my arms around him.

I really did feel better. I felt confident. Secure. Intact. Able to think in more complex ways without a strain. I of course hadn’t used my powers yet (nor did I want to), but it felt nice to be able to sword fight and throw knives and read and write just like I used to. 

I felt overwhelmed, obviously, but not because of the fact I couldn’t do all the things that I loved.

I was overwhelmed with gratitude and admiration for Lit in a way I hadn’t felt it before. It was no secret that perhaps with anyone else, I’d have been at a loss. How did I get lucky enough to find someone so committed to helping me heal? Anyone else might have just run, or given up, let a professional deal with me.

But not Lit. To think that almost a year ago, I had barely met him and he was the villain on our journey, the one who I had to fight to ensure our safety. Even then, however, he had shielded me after he lost our fight because chunks of the roof were falling in his father’s mansion. He had accepted me as I was, come along and ultimately contributed to our victory countless times. Even when I was broken and hurt and desperately in need of help, he didn’t shy away. He remained by my side and fed me, helped me be rehabilitated, kept me on a strict schedule to allow me to get better gradually rather than in the abrasive manner that I intended to heal myself with. 

Perhaps one might have said that we got into it too quickly. Already about to make five months as a couple when we hadn’t known each other for a year yet. But the thing that overwhelmed me most was that feeling of love that I knew could only come from the right person. It didn’t matter if we rushed in, because he was the one. Years ago, I didn’t believe in loving someone because I didn’t grow up in an environment that truly allowed me to learn to love properly. I had been terrified of the feeling because of who I lost. But as I wake up today, after three exhausting but fulfilling days of rehab, seeing that beside me lies the sleeping man that has contributed wholeheartedly to my newfound health, I am overwhelmed with so much emotion, that I almost want to cry.

He’s so handsome as he sleeps. He has lines from how he rests his face on his arms and such. He’s almost glowing too. His son of Demeter status seems to contribute a lot to healthy skin and hair, as well as his kind and caring nature. But even then, all that he’s done for me— it’s all Lit. He’s that amazing.

“I love you,” I whispered, reaching my hand out to stroke my fingers gently through his curls. “I love you so much.”

He stirred, and moved so his head was on my chest. I let out a light laugh and kept caressing his head. His arms wrapped around my midsection as he nuzzled in, clearly not ready to wake up yet.

“I love you,” I said again, moving my hand down to rub his bare back. Just like he won’t admit to liking being the little spoon, he won’t admit how much he likes back rubs. I haven’t given him a proper massage lately, but he definitely deserves one. 

“Love you,” he mumbled sleepily, still not opening his eyes. “Much.”

“I love you much too,” I answered, smirking as he wiggled completely onto me, which made me let out a breathy laugh as I tried to push him off gently. “You’re crushing me.”

“I’m crushing on you, baby,” he whined as he tried to stay on, hugging me as if he was a baby koala. 

“Yes, thank you, but I’m not able to breathe very well.”

He rolled off, but brought me with him, making me shriek as he planted me on top of him and basically used me as a blanket. “Don’t talk,” he grumbled. “Sleepy time.”

“I’m awake,” I said, my face squished against his chest.

“Mm… no. Sleep.”

“It’s time to get breakfast.”

“Mmm… food overrated.”

“Says the one who loves food more than anything.”

“Not more than you. And now I’m awake.” He gently slid me off of him and sat up, rubbing his eyes. His gaze was still sleepy as he gave me a cute little smirk and leaned over to kiss my cheek. “Morning, princess. Why are you up so early?”

“I had to pee.”

“Wow, thanks bladder.” He smacked me lightly on the tummy, which made me squirm because my sides are more ticklish than anything. Lit seemed to realize that, and in an instant, he’d engulfed me back into his arms for a tickle fight.

“Stop!” I cried, trying not to laugh anymore than I already had. “Too early!”

“Oh, _now_ it’s too early,” he said, leaning down to kiss my neck. “You just know you’re going to lose.”

“Lit!” I whined. “Stop— no more tickles.”

I’m not sure why he stopped, but he did, and laid back on the bed. “Well, now I’m almost wide awake. What should we do today?”

“Not sure. We can go have breakfast and then decide.”

“Eh, I’m not craving food yet.”

“You’re literally always hungry.”

He just shrugged and pulled me back into a hug, which left him falling back into sleep almost instantly. 

I guess for that moment, all there was left to do was sleep.

When we finally went up to breakfast, we found only Percy and Annabeth there. It seemed Percy had been coaxing Annabeth to eat something.

As we entered, both seemed to tense a bit at the sight of me. Lit put a protective arm around my waist. “Hi,” I said quietly as we sat down. I began to pile my plate with food, which seemed to interest Annabeth greatly.

“You’re eating well again,” she said softly. “And you’re walking.”

I blinked and looked back at her. “Annabeth… I’ve been in here a four other times already and I fought a bit yesterday. Didn’t you see me?”

She turned red. “Oh… oh, no… I wasn’t paying attention.”

This didn’t really surprise me. After Tartarus and their constantly dismissive behavior, it felt considerably normal for me not to be noticed. It stung, of course, but I didn’t say anything.

Lit did, however.

“You’re her best friends and you haven’t noticed she’s been around more?” Lit snapped, ceasing his syrup pouring and slamming the container onto the table.

“Lit, stop,” I said quickly, putting my hand on his chest.

“I’m sick of you yelling at us for everything!” Percy growled back, standing and leaning over at Lit. “You keep blaming us!”

“Because you keep treating her like shit!”

“STOP!” Annabeth shrieked, her eyes wild. “STOP IT! I CAN’T TAKE YOU TWO FIGHTING ANYMORE!” She sank back in her chair and covered her face. “Lydia, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry… I’ve been so afraid to talk to you. I’ve been so cruel to you after you did so much for me, growing up… in Tartarus. It’s— it’s terrible and I have no excuse for my behavior.”

“Annabeth,” I said as gently as I could muster. “I’m hurt, but I don’t hate you. Besides, I’m much better now. I wish you’d just stop being so awkward every time I’m in the room. I’ve forgiven you. But you won’t look at me normally so it just brings the hurt up again. That’s why Lit keeps getting mad. Because behind closed doors… he’s the only one who knows how bad it makes me feel.”

“We’re not trying to hurt you,” Percy mumbled as he sat back down. “We never meant for you to get hurt. It just— it’s been hard facing you because I feel so guilty. My mom made me swear to always protect you and Annabeth if I could, back when you both met her. But I forced you to fight the arai, I didn’t defend either of you against Akhlys. I didn’t notice what was wrong with you. I feel terrible. And I get… defensive. I’ve been so different since we came back. I get angry a bit more easily. It’s…” he trailed off.

Before Lit could comment, I moved closer to them and took their hands. “You two are my best friends. And no matter what, I love you. Just… please, don’t hold back what you feel and don’t resort to weird looks. I… I could have let go of you two before falling in. But I went because I wanted to help. I didn’t want you two to suffer. And while it hurt that you… didn’t really pay attention to me… I’m over it. I went in because I love you. I came out alive because you both kept me safe when I lost my mind. That… kind of almost… makes up for the lack of attention that kind of led to it. You both could have let me die. Offered me to Tartarus as a sacrifice since I wasn’t mentally there to begin with. But you didn’t. You got me out.”

“I’m still sorry I begged you to fall in with us,” Percy murmured. “I’m sorry we neglected you. I… well you remember when the manticore took Annabeth. You and the Hunters held me back from jumping after her. We both snuck onto the quest because it was devastating for me to not know what was happening to her.” He paused and licked his lips. “When we were hanging on that chasm… I didn’t want her to fall down there by herself. And I knew we had a higher chance of survival if you came with us, because we always made it through— the three of us… I knew if we didn’t let go, Lit might’ve fallen in too. Your arm could’ve been torn. Lydia… I’m so sorry.”

“Me too,” Annabeth whispered, her eyes glistening with tears as she squeezed my hand in return. “I’m so sorry.”

“Let’s start fresh,” I suggested. “Use this to grow. I’m better, so… all’s sort of well.”

This made Annabeth launch herself forward to hug me, and I didn’t object. Before long, Percy had joined into the hug, and I felt myself melting into an embrace that I honestly didn’t think I’d get to feel again.

______

It was later that day when we made port at the island of Mykonos, which probably meant that now was time to get bashed to pieces. 

While I had gone back with Lit to my room to cry tears of relief, throw some knives, and do some more hardcore sword training like in the good ol’ days, Percy and Annabeth had gone ashore to scout. It had felt nice to think about the fact we’d reconciled, set aside the hurt and guilt, and re-established our friendship. Lit had seemed glad too, despite the fact I know he secretly will miss getting to yell and defend me, but I know that he’ll eventually get to do that again, so I’m not about to pity him.

Once Percy and Annabeth had returned (with some gelato to share!!), we’d all sat on deck, united and all in good health at long last, without a storm or a monster attack to worry about for the first time in days. Did I mention we also ate ice cream? That was the best part. Well, except for Frank, who’s lactose intolerant. He got an apple, though it did give me an idea for a new treatment for lactose intolerant patients. I guess it’s good the gears in my brain are turning well again.

The day was hot and windy, which was not ideal for me, since I’d been cooped up so much. The sea glittered with chop, but Leo (with Lit’s help) had fixed the stabilizers well enough that Hazel didn’t look too seasick.

Curving off to our starboard side was the town of Mykonos— a collection of white stucco buildings with blue roofs, blue windows and blue doors. It gave me the idea to make a comment about it to Percy, and I got him to laugh, which really settled things back to normal for me.

“We saw these pelicans walking around town,” Percy reported. “Like, just going through the shops, stopping at the bars.”

Hazel frowned. “Monsters in disguise?”

“No,” Annabeth said, laughing, “just regular old pelicans. They’re the town mascots or something. And there’s a “Little Italy” section of town. That’s why the gelato is so good.”

“Europe is messed up.” Leo shook his head. “First we go to Rome for Spanish steps. Then we go to Greece for Italian ice cream.”

“It’s hella bomb, though,” I murmured as I took another spoonful of my strawberry delight. 

“You’re so weird, Lydia,” Leo noticed. “You’re the only one here that doesn’t like chocolate ice cream.”

“Thank you, good sir, but I think you’ll find that chocolate in general hasn’t sat well with me for awhile. I used to love it as a kid.”

“You weak little shit,” Leo mumbled under his breath so Hazel wouldn’t hear. He then dipped his spoon into his double chocolate delight. 

I pretended for a second that we were just a normal group of teenagers vacationing together, but it just influenced me to check the date, which brought on the brutal reminder that today was July 30th. Meaning that in less than forty-eight hours, Gaea, the Princess of Potty Sludge, would awaken in all her dirt-faced glory. Gross.

What I liked was that no one seemed too pessimistic. Lit was happy, his head on my lap, his finished cup of vanilla bean and chocolate gelato in his hand. The others were seemingly enjoying life. I guessed maybe we were just all keeping our shit together for the final battle (jeez, now I sound like I’m talking about a video game, where Gaea is the final boss… though to be honest it kinda fits?). 

We all might as well enjoy it. As Leo had once said, his favorite hobby was avoiding death. And for the moment, the gelato made the end of the world not so scary. 

Piper set down her ice-cream cup, which caught everyone’s attention.“So, the island of Delos is right across the harbour. Artemis and Apollo’s home turf. Who’s going?”

“Me,” Leo said immediately.

We all stared at him.

“What?” Leo demanded. “I’m diplomatic and stuff. Frank and Hazel volunteered to back me up.”

“We did?” Frank lowered his half-eaten apple. “I mean... sure we did.”

Hazel’s gold eyes flashed in the sunlight. “Leo, did you have a dream about this or something?”

“Yes,” Leo blurted. “Well... no. Not exactly. But... you got to trust me on this, guys. I need to talk to Apollo and Artemis. I’ve got an idea I need to bounce off them.” He then looked over at me. “And um, I also really want Lydia and Lit to come with me.”

“How come?” Lit asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, Lydia told me she knew Apollo and Artemis decently well. And considering everything, Litia is a matched set.”

“Did you just say ‘Litia?’” I asked, puzzled. 

“Yes,” Leo admitted. “You know, Lit and Lydia? You guys are a pair. Like, you call Percy and Annabeth Percabeth. So you two are Litia.”

I blushed as Lit clapped and looked up to ‘boop’ my nose. 

“Sounds like a plan,” Jason said. “If Leo has an idea, we need to trust him.”

“Thanks, man,” Leo said with a small smile, which made me wonder what his plan actually was. 

Percy shrugged. “Okay. But a word of advice— and Lydia will support when I say this— when you see Apollo, don’t mention haiku.”

Hazel knitted her eyebrows. “Why not? Isn’t he the god of poetry?”

“Just trust me.”

“He gets too excited,” I added with a wry grin. 

“Got it.” Leo rose to his feet. “And, guys, if they have a souvenir shop on Delos, I’m totally bringing you back some Apollo and Artemis bobbleheads!”

As he and the others gathered their things on the deck, Lit quickly led me back down to my— scratch that, _our_ room to grab our equipment. 

“You ready for this?” He asked as I tucked the remaining knives I had onto my belt, which was really only three.

“I think so,” I mumbled, going to fix my hair and change into better shoes. 

“I think you are too. But I want you to know that if anything feels off, you can tell me. Don’t be shy about it. You’re really strong, and I admire you a lot, but every hero has to acknowledge when they’re in too deep.”

“Aw…” I came and planted my hands on his chest. “Is someone worried because this is my first quest since I got out of Tartarus?”

He blushed. “Obviously. You don’t need to be a Stanford Med genius to know that. I’m worried, as anyone else would be. But I think you can handle it. Just don’t test your limits, okay? Promise me.”

“Yes, I promise.” 

He gave me a quick peck on the lips before we parted ways to keep getting ready.

Once we had both gotten everything we needed, we stepped back out onto the deck, and I let out a soft breath, feeling even more excited when I heard the familiar curses from Arion as he arrived at Hazel’s call.


	80. We See Sunshine Depressed

After a few seconds of me squealing and hugging Arion as he cursed, Hazel tugged me up to ride with her and Leo to Delos. 

Frank had taken Lit up as an eagle. I’d wanted to go with them, but Hazel and Lit agreed maybe flying so high wasn’t ideal for me yet. According to Leo, he’d have gone with Lit, but he ended up a tad traumatized after the fiasco at Fort Sumter.

We found the island completely deserted, maybe because the seas were too choppy for the tourist boats. The windswept hills were barren except for rocks, grass and wildflowers— and, of course, a bunch of crumbling temples, which was expected. 

“This might be more impressive if it didn’t give me flashbacks of Olympia,” Leo murmured as we walked. It reminded me that he, Percy, Hazel, and Frank had gone to retrieve Nike there, and had encountered enough ancient ruins to last them a lifetime. “To be honest, these white marble columns are far too overused.”

“Don’t let Annabeth hear you say that,” I commented as Lit put his arm around me. 

We walked down an avenue lined with white stone lions, the faces weathered almost featureless, which was unnerving. I felt a chill go down my spine, and Lit rubbed my back to comfort me.

“It’s eerie,” Hazel murmured as she looked over her shoulder.

“You sense any ghosts?” Frank asked uncertainly.

She shook her head. “The lack of ghosts is eerie. Back in ancient times, Delos was sacred ground. No mortal was allowed to be born here or die here. There are literally no mortal spirits on this whole island.”

“Cool with me,” Leo replied. “Does that mean nobody’s allowed to kill us here?”

I was hoping Hazel’s answer would be ‘yeah, we’re safe,’ but of course, she said ‘back in ancient times,’ so I wasn’t too hopeful (which was good, because my hopes got crushed 97% of the time anyway).

“I didn’t say that.” Hazel stopped at the summit of a low hill. “Look. Down there.”

Below us, the hillside had been carved into an amphitheatre. Scrubby plants sprouted between the rows of stone benches, so it looked like a concert for thorn bushes. Down at the bottom, sitting on a block of stone in the middle of the stage, the god Apollo hunched over a ukulele, plucking out a mournful tune.

Yeah, now he looked like the one who needed a therapy session, a bobblehead, and maybe a haiku to cheer him up— though I didn’t think anything I came up with would suffice. 

_“Will you still go to Clarion Academy?” Percy had asked Rachel once she had accepted the Oracle’s spirit._

_“I made a promise to my father,” Rachel had replied. “I guess I’ll try to be a normal kid during the school year, but—“_

_“But right now you need to sleep,” Apollo scolded, having been present to oversee the ritual. “Chiron, I don’t think the attic is a proper place for our new Oracle, do you?”_

_“No, indeed.” Chiron looked much better now after being crushed, and was even walking. With my powers and Apollo’s magic, he’d gone back to normal. “Rachel may use a guest room in the Big House for now, until we give the matter more thought.”_

_“I’m thinking a cave in the hills,” Apollo mused. “With torches and a big purple curtain over the entrance... really mysterious. But inside, a totally decked out pad with a game room and one of those home theater systems.”_

_I cracked a smile, but Chiron simply cleared his throat loudly. I was still in no state to feel happy. I had just watched Ethan and Luke die, and I was being repeatedly plagued by the scenes in my head._

_“What?” Apollo demanded in a playfully dejected tone to Chiron as Rachel kissed Percy on the cheek. She whispered something in his ear then followed Chiron into the Big House._

_Meanwhile, Apollo led me away._

_“How are you feeling?” He asked, his brows furrowed in concern._

_“Godawful,” I mumbled. “There’s a lot of distractions right now, but I know later at the funerals... it’s all going to come out.”_

_He put his hand on my forehead and mumbled some words in Ancient Greek._

_“You already do therapy, yes?” He asked._

_“Mhm. Twice a week.”_

_“Up it to three times a week up until you leave for school. You’re still fairly close by so you should be able to pop by on weekends for group therapy.”_

_I winced. “Alright.”_

_“Don’t make that face,” he said sternly. “You know you’re going to need it. My children tell me you’ve always tried to play it off like you are strong, Lydia. And they tell me how therapy is really the only release you get— where you can be emotional and not be judged. You have to allow yourself to feel. Allow yourself to cry. Don’t hold it back. Don’t care about what other people think. You’ve always been strong and now you have a right to show weakness. I know what it’s like to lose someone you love...”_

_His eyes became cloudy, and he shook his head as if to toss the thought aside._

_“Regardless,” he said. “Just... follow my advice, okay? You don’t want to walk into your senior year completely miserable. You’ll be okay, eventually. But you need to start working on it now. It will help the pain go away.”_

_I didn’t realize I’d started crying until Apollo smiled gently and handed me a tissue._

_I let out a sob and he pulled me into a hug._

After that, Apollo had checked in on me a few times. I had gotten to know him well, and he’d trusted me enough to tell me about his past romances. We’d discussed attraction, and he’d helped me work through the fact that Ethan wouldn’t be the last person I ever fell in love with. 

Now, seeing him being the one who needed a hug, I wanted to repay the huge favor he did me.

He looked so different today, more like a mix of Lit and Will Solace. He was perfectly tan, with curly blond hair, and he looked to be about seventeen. He wore tattered jeans, a black T-shirt and a white linen jacket with glittering rhinestone lapels, like he was going for an Elvis/Ramones/Beach Boys hybrid look.

He was strumming his ukulele sadly, creating a melancholy tune that made Leo let out a small sniffle. 

Sitting in the front row of the amphitheater was a young girl of about thirteen, wearing black leggings and a silver tunic, her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was whittling on a long piece of wood— making a bow. My breath hitched, because Artemis looked just as a remembered her, except with a few features that made her appear more like Zoë Nightshade.

I remembered Artemis had paid me a few visits as well (but not with Apollo, of course), trying to convince me to reconsider joining the Hunters after all the times she had come to ask me to join and I’d said no. But she understood that I wasn’t up for it, and had respectfully stopped asking, and instead began to talk to me about her aspirations for the Hunters (which I thought was still her subtly asking me to join).

“Those are the gods?” Frank asked. “They don’t look like twins.”

“Well, think about it,” Hazel said. “If you’re a god, you can look like whatever you want.”

“Besides, even without DNA, they’d be dizygotic twins because they’re male and female,” I murmured, mostly for myself and Lit, though the others turned to look at me. “They wouldn’t look _completely_ alike either way. Some similarities perhaps. I know many female and male twins who look like they could be years apart. Of course, if you knew Apollo and Artemis like I do, you’d know they are very different people. Frank, if you had a twin—“

“I’d choose to look like anything but my sibling,” Frank agreed. “So what’s the plan?”

“Don’t shoot!” yelled Leo. It must have seemed like a good opening line, facing two archery gods (for him at least). He raised his arms and headed down to the stage.

Neither god looked surprised to see us. Apollo sighed and went back to playing his ukulele.

“Lord Apollo,” I said quietly as I kneeled before him. His eyes glistened a bit when I looked up, but he just shook his head. I inched forward and carefully wrapped my arms around him.

“Troubled mind,” he murmured.

“I’m sorry?” I replied. 

“You have a troubled mind,” he repeated. “That’s the only thing I can sense around you. I heard rumors… Hermes was throwing a fit…”

I blinked. “My father knew?”

“We all knew. Zeus forbade him from visiting you. Threatened to punish him as he did us if he went down. He didn’t want him to be focusing on you with everything going on.”

I sighed and just rubbed his back, before Hazel gently tugged me down to Artemis, where the others were. Now I was thinking about my father, and even my mother, which I had neglected doing because I knew it’d prevent me from healing sooner. 

“I’ve never seen him so… depressed,” Lit whispered in my ear. “Every time I saw him, he annoyed me because he was so… bright.”

“He’s faring worse than Artemis, that’s for sure,” I said. She seemed more keen to talk. 

I kneeled before her as well. “Lady Artemis.”

Artemis nodded and muttered, “There you are. We were beginning to wonder.” 

“So you were expecting us, then,” Leo said. “I can tell, because you’re both so excited.” Apollo plucked another sad tune in response. 

“We were expecting to be found, bothered and tormented,” he grumbled. “We didn’t know by whom. Can you not leave us to our misery?”

“You know they can’t, brother,” Artemis chided. “They require our help with their quest, even if the odds are hopeless.”

“You two are full of good cheer,” Leo mused. Whatever his pitch for them was, he didn’t look too optimistic either. “Why are you hiding out here anyway? Shouldn’t you be... I dunno, fighting giants or something?”

“Delos is our birthplace,” responded the goddess. “Here, we are unaffected by the Greek–Roman schism. Believe me, Leo Valdez, if I could, I would be with my Hunters, facing our old enemy Orion. Unfortunately, if I stepped off this island, I would become incapacitated with pain. All I can do is watch helplessly while Orion slaughters my followers. Many gave their lives to protect your friends and that accursed Athena statue.”

“Thalia,” I breathed as Hazel made a stranged sound. “A-And Nico— Reyna— Hedge—“

“Are they alright?” Hazel asked frantically.

“Alright?” Apollo sobbed over his ukulele. “None of us are alright, girl! Gaea is rising!” Artemis glared at Apollo. “Hazel Levesque, your brother is still alive. He is a brave fighter, like you. I wish I could say the same for my brother.”

“You wrong me!” Apollo wailed. “I was misled by Gaia and that horrible Roman child!”

Frank cleared his throat. “Uh, Lord Apollo, you mean Octavian?”

“Do not speak his name!” Apollo strummed a minor chord. “Oh, Frank Zhang, if only you were my child. I heard your prayers, you know, all those weeks you wanted to be claimed. But alas! Mars gets all the good ones. I get... that creature as my descendant. He filled my head with compliments. He told me of the great temples he would build in my honour.”

Artemis snorted. “You are easily flattered, brother.”

“Because I have so many amazing qualities to praise! Octavian said he wanted to make the Romans strong again. I said fine! I gave him my blessing.”

“As I recall,” said Artemis, “he also promised to make you the most important god of the legion, above even Zeus.”

“Well, who was I to argue with an offer like that? Does Zeus have a perfect tan? Can he play the ukulele? I think not! But I never thought Octavian would start a war! Gaea must have been clouding my thoughts, whispering in my ear.”

“My lord,” I said, wringing my hands together. “You must not beat yourself up over the misfortune of one Roman child. It’s not really your fault. He’s… like that. You have many children to be proud of, you’re a good father.”

Artemis seemed to actually not hate what I said, though she didn’t look at me. “Besides,” Lit added as helpfully as he could, “can’t you tell Octavian to stand down? Or, you know, shoot him with one of your arrows. That would be fine, too. I really wouldn’t miss that guy. I’m sure no one else would.”

“I cannot!” Apollo wailed. “Look!” 

His ukulele turned into a bow. He aimed at the sky and shot. The golden arrow sailed about two hundred feet, then disintegrated into smoke.

“To shoot my bow, I would have to step off Delos,” Apollo cried. “Then I would be incapacitated, or Zeus would strike me down. Father never liked me. He hasn’t trusted me for millennia!”

“Well,” Artemis said, “to be fair, there was that time you conspired with Hera to overthrow him.”

“That was a misunderstanding!”

“And you killed some of Zeus’s Cyclopes.”

“I had a good reason for that! At any rate, now Zeus blames me for everything— Octavian’s schemes, the fall of Delphi—“

“Wait, Delphi has fallen?” Lit blurted out, looking relieved. I guess maybe no prophecies were a good thing, to an extent. 

Apollo’s bow turned back into a ukulele. He plucked a dramatic chord. “When the schism began between Greek and Roman, while I struggled with confusion, Gaea took advantage! She raised my old enemy Python, the great serpent, to repossess the Delphic Oracle. That horrible creature is now coiled in the ancient caverns, blocking the magic of prophecy. I am stuck here, so I can’t even fight him.”

“Bummer,” Leo said, not really seeming all too sad about it.

“Bummer indeed!” Apollo sighed. “Zeus was already angry with me for appointing that new girl, Rachel Dare, as my Oracle. Zeus seems to think I hastened the war with Gaea by doing so, since Rachel issued the Prophecy of Seven as soon as I blessed her. But prophecy doesn’t work that way! Father just needed someone to blame. So of course he picked the handsomest, most talented, hopelessly awesome god.”

Artemis made a gagging gesture.

“Oh, stop it, sister!” Apollo said. “You’re in trouble, too!”

“Only because I stayed in touch with my Hunters against Zeus’s wishes,” Artemis said. “But I can always charm Father into forgiving me. He’s never been able to stay mad at me. It’s you I’m worried about.”

“I’m worried about me, too!” Apollo agreed. “We have to do something. We can’t kill Octavian. Hmm. Perhaps we should kill these demigods, except for Lydia.”

“Wait,” I said, furrowing my eyebrows. “We have something to discuss with you.” I shoved Leo forward. 

He made a face, but told them how Hera had directed us to Delos, and how Nike had described to him the ingredients for the physician’s cure.

“The physician’s cure?” Apollo stood and smashed his ukulele on the stones. “That’s your plan?” 

Leo raised his hands. “Hey, um, usually I’m all for smashing ukuleles, but—“

“I cannot help you!” Apollo cried. “If I told you the secret of the physician’s cure, Zeus would never forgive me!”

“You’re already in trouble,” Lit pointed out, stepping forward to pull Leo away from them. “I know that Lord Zeus is capable of terrible things, but I’m sure Lady Artemis would agree— there is reason to this plan, and we are doing everything with the best intentions— defeating Gaea.”

Artemis nodded. Apollo sighed, rubbing his temples, before looking at his sister. They seemed to have a silent battle just with their glances, which ended with Apollo groaning and kicking his broken ukulele across the stage.

His sister rose. “Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, come with me. There are things you should know about the Twelfth Legion. As for you, Leo Valdez, as well as you, Lityerses, and Lydia Castellan, Apollo will hear you out. See if you can strike a deal. My brother always likes a good bargain.”

Frank and Hazel both glanced at us, like ‘Please don’t die.’ Then they followed Artemis up the steps of the amphitheatre and over the crest of the hill.

“Well?” Apollo folded his arms. His eyes glowed with golden light. “Let us bargain, then. What can you offer that would convince me to help you rather than kill you?”

“Let me make a point first,” I said, buying time for Leo to begin pulling things out of the pockets of his magic tool belt. I knew Apollo, I knew flattery would put him in a better mood. “Lord Apollo, you know as well as I do how worthy your help would be to us. How wonderful would it be for us to say that the great Apollo gave us the tool we needed to defeat Gaea? Zeus would forgive you instantaneously. We would all vouch for it. You were present when immortality was offered to Percy and I. He and the other gods may offer us gifts. That would be mine.”

“Even if you had accepted immortality and requested such a pardon for me, it may not work,” Apollo mused.

“Surely, even if I don’t ask, Zeus will take notice of how helpful you have been. The other gods would certainly see it, and admire you. You’d be making it all up to him.”

Apollo wrinkled his nose. “I suppose that’s possible. But it would be easier to smite you all.”

“Apollo,” Lit said, moving closer to him. “Even I have managed to get back in the good graces of the gods despite being a murderer, a playboy, and an ex-fighter for Gaea. Why shouldn’t you? It wasn’t even your fault entirely.”

Apollo snorted. “Don’t ask me how you managed that. You were almost as much of a playboy as me. Besides, you don’t know if all the gods really see you in a good light.” He paused, mulling over it, before coming to a decision. “What do you want, exactly? And what do I get out of it?”

“First thing I need: advice,” Leo said abruptly as he strung some wires across the mouth of a funnel, and looked. “I want to know if a plan of mine will work.” He looked back at us. “Is it okay if you both go stand over there for a bit? Just while I work this out?”

Lit and I shared a look, and respectfully stepped aside. 

“I wonder what he’s planning,” I mumbled. Lit stopped at the edge of the amphitheater, and I rested my head on his chest. “I was terrible.”

“You’re out of practice bargaining with immortal beings,” he reassured me as he rubbed my back. “You did good.” He then let out a shaky breath. 

“What’s wrong?” I asked immediately. 

“I’m just wondering. How volatile immortality is. I could lose it any second. Maybe I already lost it.”

“You think so?” I whispered, looking up at him.

“My contract with Gaea basically required me to remain in her service to be immortal. I just started thinking about it now. It must mean I’m just a regular demigod again.”

“Oh, Lit,” I mumbled, thinking this was bumming him out.

“Don’t you worry. I’m okay with it, it means I get to grow old with you,” he stated, caressing my cheek. “It just makes me think that all this is so temporary. Apollo may not be in Zeus’s good graces all too soon.”

“Probably not. I just hope everything works itself out,” I murmured.

We both seemed to think to look back at Leo at the same time, and made a simultaneous squeak of confusion.

“What the fuck is that in his hands?” Lit blurted out.

“Looks like a phonograph… or a music box?”

“It looks like he’s offering it to him,” Lit noted. “Jeez, Leo looks like a salesman now. ‘Buy my product, $19.99 with free shipping! Order in the next five minutes and—‘“

“The bargain,” I breathed, furrowing my eyebrows. “But—“

That’s when Leo began to work the machine.

Lit and I went silent, watching Leo turn some handles sort of desperately. I heard some clear tones ringing out, metallic in a sense, but comforting. Lit reached for my hand and squeezed it as a wistful melody came out of the device. The brass cone amplified the sound, and made my heart ache. It was like the machine’s heart had been broken by someone. 

“Calypso,” Lit muttered.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Calypso— it’s her song. My mother used to sing it to us so we could sleep. I thought it was a weird lullaby that she’d come up with. But then I got stuck on Ogygia, and I heard Calypso herself playing it.”

“You were on Ogygia?” I inquired. “So was Percy. How did you um, leave?”

“I had way too many lovers at the time,” Lit said shyly. “Calypso fell for me, as mean as I was to her, and the raft appeared. I hadn’t thought about her for so long. If Leo knows this—“

“Hazel mentioned something…” I thought. “That day she came in to talk to me by herself while you and Frank went on some errand… I couldn’t talk at the time, but I heard her. Something about Leo and Calypso.”

“He fell for her,” Lit concluded. “That’s— that’s why he’s been so… heartsick. And keeping to himself. It’s like how I acted when you were gone.”

I subconsciously leaned onto him again. I didn’t ponder on Lit’s time with Calypso. I trusted him, I had no reason to be jealous or toxic. Instead, I thought of Leo, and how often I had to encourage him, telling him that he had so many good qualities, and that the right girl would come along. It made me feel almost forlorn when I recalled how self conscious he could get, because no one had ever appreciated all he had to give. 

“He’s in love,” I told Lit. “It’s all in the atmosphere— it’s almost palpable. He’s in love with her…”

What was he planning? It only made me more prudent in that moment. Leo was already highly altruistic. Did that mean…

“I love you,” Lit whispered, disrupting my thoughts. “You, and no one else.”

I knew he was probably reassuring me after mentioning his lovers and having been on Ogygia. But I wasn’t concerned. I had faith in him. That was his past self. 

“I love you too,” I replied, tiptoeing to kiss him.

When Leo’s melody stopped, he and Apollo seemed to begin discussing the new instrument he’d created. 

I remembered how my siblings and I liked to tease the Apollo kids sometimes, reminding them how when our father had stolen Apollo’s sacred cows, he’d made the first lyre and traded it to Apollo for forgiveness. It was interesting to think that at the time, my father had been a baby. Apollo really was older than my dad, but always appeared much younger than him. Now, it was as if Leo was mimicking that exchange.

After long last, Leo waved us back over, and we followed him to the Delos docks, where Hazel and Frank waited. Artemis was nowhere in sight, and when I turned around to check if Apollo was following us, I realized he was gone too. 

“Man,” Leo muttered, “he was really anxious to practice his Valdezinator.”

“His what?” Hazel asked.

“Is that the new instrument you gave him?” I inquired, noticing Leo was holding a little flower. “Did you trade it for that little daisy?”

“It’s the final ingredient to cure death, Lydia. It’s a super daisy! How about you guys? Learn anything from Artemis?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” Hazel gazed across the water, where the Argo II bobbed at anchor. “Artemis knows a lot about missile weapons. She told us Octavian has ordered some... surprises for Camp Half-Blood. He’s used most of the legion’s treasure to purchase Cyclopes-built onagers.”

“Oh, no, not onagers!” Leo said playfully. “Also, what’s an onager?”

Frank scowled. “You build machines. How can you not know what an onager is?”

“Okay, well I don’t know what that is either,” Lit defended Leo. “And I grew up around all that old stuff.”

“It’s just the biggest, baddest catapult ever used by the Roman army,” Frank explained. 

“Fine,” Leo said. “But onager is a stupid name. They should’ve called them Valdezapults.”

Hazel rolled her eyes. “This is serious. If Artemis is right, six of these machines will be rolling into Long Island tomorrow night. That’s what Octavian has been waiting for. At dawn on August first, he’ll have enough firepower to completely destroy Camp Half-Blood without a single Roman casualty. He thinks that’ll make him a hero.”

Frank muttered a Latin curse. “Except he’s also summoned so many monstrous “allies” that the legion is completely surrounded by wild centaurs, tribes of dog-headed cynocephali, and who knows what else. As soon as the legion destroys Camp Half-Blood, the monsters will turn on Octavian and destroy the legion.”

“Shit,” Lit murmured. “And then Gaea rises… and stuff goes down.” 

“This just makes my plan more important,” Leo said. “Once we get this physician’s cure, I’m going to need your help. Just you, Hazel and Frank.”

Before I could tease that I was offended, Frank let out a small cough. “What kind of help?”

Leo’s face seemed to contort in pain. He began to explain this insane plan that made my eyes water, not only because it was too much information at once and made my brain hurt, but also because the whole gist of it was that he wanted to sacrifice himself. 

“It has to be this way,” Leo said. “Nike confirmed it. Apollo confirmed it. The others would never accept it, but you guys... you’re Romans, and you, Lit and Lydia, you’re the most understanding people on the crew. That’s why I wanted you to come to Delos with me. You might be mad at me, but you get the whole sacrifice thing— doing your duty, jumping on your sword.”

Frank sniffled. “I think you mean falling on your sword.”

“Whatever,” Leo said. “You know this has to be the answer.”

“But—“ I began.

“Lydia, don’t,” Leo said firmly. “Please. Trust me on this. You of all people understand how vital the physician’s cure is for this, and you know that I have a chance. Lit, my man, you gotta understand what needs to be given up to make things go right. You lived another life, you saw wars, you knew that sometimes this is what it comes down to.”

“And Frank—“ We all looked at Frank, who’d choked up. “I’m counting on you, big guy. Remember you told me about that conversation with Mars? Your dad said you’d have to step up, right? You’d have to make the call nobody else was willing to make.”

“Or the war would go sideways,” Frank remembered. “But still—“

“And Hazel,” Leo said. “Crazy Mist-magicky Hazel, you’ve got to cover for me. You’re the only one who can. My great-granddad Sammy saw how special you were. He blessed me when I was a baby, because I think somehow he knew you were going to come back and help me. Our whole lives, mi amiga, they’ve been leading up to this.”

“Oh, Leo…” She really did burst into tears then. She grabbed him and hugged him, which cued us all to jump into the hug. I didn’t want to think about the fact that Leo wanted to sacrifice himself. How was that fair? For him to take the fall to save so many? There had to be another way.

But he was right. The physician's cure could be what dictated whether he actually died or not. I believed that if we got it, he might not lose his life from this. 

We just had to trust him.

“Okay, well…” Leo gently extricated himself. “So we’re in agreement?”

“I hate this plan,” Frank said.

“I despise it,” Hazel agreed.

“I’d rather take your place,” Lit suggested.

“And I’d prefer no one had to sacrifice themselves at all,” I sighed. 

“Think how I feel,” Leo finished. “But you know it’s our best shot.” 

“Is it, though?” I whispered. “Leo—“

He shook his head. “It’ll be okay, Lydia. Let’s get back to the ship. We have a healer god to find.”


	81. We Go ‘Idiot Mode’... Unfortunately

It didn’t take too long for Leo to spot the entrance once we flew over it.

We were finally hovering over the ancient temple complex of Asclepius, where we’d hopefully find the physician’s cure, and maybe some other healing stuff to keep on deck. I need more suture kits to practice.

The ruins of Epidaurus were beautiful. Sure, it looked mostly like ruins, but it was still a nice view.

Annabeth pointed to the disc-shaped structure about fifty yards off their port side. “There.” Leo smiled as he nudged me. “Exactly. See, the architect knows her stuff.”

“What are we looking at?” Frank asked.

“Ah, Señor Zhang,” Leo said, “you know how you’re always saying, “Leo, you are the only true genius among demigods”?”

“I’m pretty sure I never said that.”

“Well, turns out there are other true geniuses! Because one of them must have made that work of art down there.”

“It’s a stone circle,” Frank said. “Probably the foundation of an old shrine.”

Piper shook her head. “No, it’s more than that. Look at the ridges and grooves carved around the rim.”

“Like the teeth of a gear,” Lit offered. “Maybe it’s more mechanical than we anticipated.”

“And those concentric rings.” Hazel pointed to the centre of the structure, where curved stones formed a sort of bull’s-eye. “The pattern reminds me of Pasiphaë’s pendant: the symbol of the Labyrinth.”

“Ha, the Labyrinth,” I mumbled, making Annabeth look at me before turning away. Probably checking if I’ve gone crazy again. “That place sucked.”

Leo scowled. “Well, I hadn’t thought of that. But think mechanical. Frank, Hazel ... where did we see concentric circles like that before?”

“The laboratory under Rome,” Frank mused. 

“The Archimedes lock on the door,” Hazel added. “It had rings within rings.”

Percy snorted. “You’re telling me that’s a massive stone lock? It’s, like, fifty feet in diameter.”

“Leo might be right,” Annabeth said. “In ancient times, the temple of Asclepius was like the General Hospital of Greece. Everybody came here for the best healing. Aboveground, it was the size of a major city, but supposedly the real action happened belowground. That’s where the high priests had their intensive-care super-magical-type compound, accessed by a secret passage.”

“I bet you’d love a hospital like that,” Lit whispered in my ear as he poked my side, making me squirm.

“You’re going to make me fall over the railing.”

“Sucks to suck.”

Percy scratched his ear in confusion. “So, if that big round thing is the lock, how do we get the key?”

“Way ahead of you, Aquaman,” Leo said.

“Okay, do not call me Aquaman. That’s even worse than water boy.”

Leo turned to Jason, Piper, and Lit. “You guys remember the giant Archimedes grabber arm I told you I was building?”

Jason raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were kidding.”

“Oh, my friend, I never kid about giant grabber arms!” Leo rubbed his hands in anticipation. “It’s time to go fishing for prizes!” He opened the hull’s forward access vent and extended the arm, guided by the console monitor and Jason, who flew outside, yelling directions.

Lit and I went and grabbed some packs we had prepared to take down, just in case we needed to collect items, and by the time we returned to the deck, the last stone ring turned and settled with a deep pneumatic hiss. The entire fifty-foot pedestal telescoped downward into a spiral staircase.

Hazel exhaled. “Leo, even from up here, I’m sensing bad stuff at the bottom of those stairs. Something... large and dangerous. You sure you don’t want me to come along?”

“Thank, Hazel, but we’ll be good.” He patted Piper on the back. “Me and Piper, Jason, Lit, and Lydia— we’re old pros at large and dangerous.”

Frank held out the vial of Pylosian mint. “Don’t break it.”

Leo nodded gravely. “Don’t break the vial of deadly poison. Man, I’m glad you said that. Never would have occurred to me.”

“Shut up, Valdez.” Frank gave him a bear hug. “And be careful.”

“Ribs,” Leo squeaked. 

“Sorry.”

Annabeth and Percy wished us good luck. Jason summoned the winds and whisked Piper, Leo, Lit, and I down to the surface.

The stairs spiralled downward about sixty feet before opening into a chamber as large as Bunker Nine— which is to say, ginormous.

The polished white tiles on the walls and floor reflected the light of Jason’s sword so well that Leo didn’t need to make a fire for us. Rows of long stone benches filled the entire chamber, almost like a cathedral. At the far end of the room, where the altar would have been, stood a ten-foot-tall statue of pure white alabaster— a young woman in a white robe, a serene smile on her face. In one hand she raised a cup, while a golden serpent coiled around her arm, its head poised over the brim as if ready to drink.

“Large and dangerous,” Lit guessed.

Piper scanned the room. “This must have been the sleeping area.” Her voice echoed a little too loudly for my comfort. “The patients stayed here overnight. The god Asclepius was supposed to send them a dream, telling them what cure to ask for.”

“How do you know that?” Leo asked. “Annabeth told you?”

Piper looked offended. “I know stuff. That statue over there is Hygeia, the daughter of Asclepius. She’s the goddess of good health. That’s where we get the word hygiene.”

Jason studied the statue warily. “What with the snake and the cup?”

“Maybe it’s supposed to have some liquid in it,” I guessed. “The snakes, I don’t know exactly, but there are snakes on my dad’s caduceus, and he’s classified as a sort of god of medicine too because of the traveling aspect. What I do know is that this place— the Asclepeion— was a medical school and a hospital. Kind of how all the big med schools now have their own hospitals. 

“All the best doctor-priests trained here,” Piper recalled. “They would’ve worshipped both Asclepius and Hygeia.”

“Well shit, me too,” I said enthusiastically. “They were amazing.”

“Okay, nerd,” Lit teased as he ruffled my hair.

I was excited about all of this, of course, but once silence settled back over the group, I realized how unnerving everything was.

The gleaming white tiles, the creepy smile on Hygeia’s face... it all made me want to crawl out of my skin. It was fascinating, but eerie. 

Nevertheless, I headed down the centre aisle towards the statue, and everyone followed. 

Strewn across the benches were old magazines: Highlights for Children, Autumn, 20 B.C.E.; Hephaestus-TV Weekly— Aphrodite’s Latest Baby Bump; A: The Magazine of Asclepius— Ten Simple Tips to Get the Most out of Your Leeching!

“It’s a reception area,” Leo muttered. “I hate reception areas.”

“A waiting room,” I agreed. “In a sense. I don’t like those either. Too many sad people.”

Here and there, piles of dust and scattered bones lay on the floor, which did not say encouraging things about the average wait time.

“Check it out.” Lit pointed. “Were those signs here when we walked in? And that door?”

“Um, no,” I mumbled. 

On the wall to the right of the statue, above a closed metal door, were two electronic signboards. The top one read: THE DOCTOR IS: INCARCERATED. The sign below that read: NOW SERVING NUMBER: 0000000

Jason squinted. “I can’t read it that far away. The doctor is…”

“Incarcerated,” Leo said. “Apollo warned me that Asclepius was being held under guard. Zeus didn’t want him sharing his medical secrets or something.”

“Screw Zeus,” I muttered under my breath. 

“Twenty bucks and a box of Froot Loops that statue is the guardian,” Piper said.

“Oh, you’re on,” Lit added as we all glanced at the nearest pile of waiting-room dust. “Also, should we take a number? Maybe that’ll speed things up.”

Unfortunately, giant statue had other ideas.

When we got within five feet, she turned her head and looked at them. Her expression remained frozen. Her mouth didn’t move. But a voice issued from somewhere above, echoing through the room. “Do you have an appointment?”

Piper didn’t miss a beat. “Hello, Hygeia! Apollo sent us. We need to see Asclepius.”

The alabaster statue stepped off her dais. She might have been mechanical, but I couldn’t hear any moving parts. To be certain, I’d actually have to concentrate and look into her, but the mere thought of that made me nervous. I didn’t want to use that power anymore. 

“I see.” The statue kept smiling, though she didn’t sound pleased. “May I make a copy of your insurance cards?”

“We don’t have insurance cards at the moment,” I stated. “Currently switching to better insurance… you know, to make sure we’re covered for everything that’s about to go down.”

“No insurance cards?” The statue shook her head. An exasperated sigh echoed through the chamber. “I suppose you haven’t prepared for your visit, either. Have you washed your hands thoroughly?”

“We’re prepared, yes,” I said. “We’re ready for what we need to discuss with the doctor. And yes, we washed our hands.”

I noticed Leo looked at his hands, which, as usual, were streaked with grease and grime, and hid them behind his back.

“Are you wearing clean underwear?” the statue asked.

“Hey, lady,” Leo said, “that’s getting personal.”

“You should always wear clean underwear to the doctor’s office,” chided Hygeia. “I’m afraid you are a health hazard. You will have to be sanitized before we can proceed.”

The golden snake uncurled and dropped from her arm. It reared its head and hissed, flashing sabre— like fangs.

“Woah, we never said we didn’t have clean underwear!” I shrieked. 

“And getting sanitized by large snakes isn’t covered by our medical plan,” Lit said smartly. 

“Oh, that doesn’t matter,” Hygeia assured him. “Sanitizing is a community service. It’s complimentary!”

The snake lunged.

Thankfully, Lit, Leo, and I were very used to dealing with fast moving objects, both as swordfighters and mechanics. 

Leo leaped to one side and the snake missed his head by an inch, though Lit and I jumped a bit further away. He rolled and came up, hands blazing. As the snake attacked, Leo blasted it in the eyes, causing it to veer left and smash into the bench.

Piper and Jason went to work on Hygeia. They slashed through the statue’s knees, felling her like an alabaster Christmas tree. Her head hit a bench. Her chalice splashed steaming acid all over the floor. Jason and Piper moved in for the kill, but, before they could strike, Hygeia’s legs popped back on like they were magnetic. The goddess rose, still smiling.

“Unacceptable,” she said. “The doctor will not see you until you are properly sanitized.”

She sloshed her cup towards Piper, who jumped out of the way as more acid splashed across the nearest benches, dissolving the stone in a hissing cloud of steam.

The snake, meanwhile, recovered its senses. Its melted metal eyes somehow repaired themselves. Its face popped back into shape like a dent-resistant car hood.

It struck at Leo, who ducked and tried to grapple its neck, but the serpent shot past, its rough metal skin leaving Leo’s hands scraped and bleeding.

“Hey, leave my brother alone!” I snapped as I brought out Slasher and cut it through the air, making the snake get swatted aside. 

Across the room, Jason soared into the air and lopped the goddess’s head off. Sadly, the head flew right back into place.

“Unacceptable,” Hygeia said calmly. “Decapitation is not a healthy lifestyle choice.”

“Jason, get over here!” Leo yelled. “Lit, I have a plan. Piper and Lydia, buy us some time!”

Piper and I leapt closer to the statue as the boys got ready to really wrestle with the snake. 

“I have our old insurance cards!” I said immediately. Making the statue turn. Even the golden snake turned towards me, as if insurance was some sort of tasty rodent.

“Insurance?” The statue said eagerly. “Who is your provider?”

“Um... Blue Lightning,” Piper said. “I have my card right here. Just a second.”

“Again, we’re just switching insurance!” I explained as Piper made a big show of patting down her pockets. The snake slithered over to watch. “So it might take awhile— but we do have insurance! We’re switching to um… um… Golden Shield, it’s better for demigods! You see, I’m about to go to my last year at Med School and I just learned about the plan being better and I suggested everyone get it!”

Hygeia seemed to be more interested. “Is Blue Lightning an HMO? What about Golden Shield? What is their deductible? Who is your primary care deity?”

“They’re both HMOs!” Piper said, looking at me as if I should answer the other two questions. 

“The deductible is $400,” I blurted out. “And that’s both Hermes and Apollo! Actually um, Hermes was for Blue Lightning and Apollo for Golden Shield.”

“I can’t find the card!” Piper wailed dramatically. “Oh, I’m so stressed! Lydia, I told you we should have asked for this change sooner!”

“I’m sorry!” I said out of habit. Then I paused. “No, I am sorry. I am! I didn’t know about it before!”

“That nurse kept telling us to call the service centre, that’s why it got delayed!” Piper reported. “And the medications weren’t covered by our plan and we needed them and—“

Hygeia abruptly whirled to face the boys behind us. “What have you done? My snake requires medical assistance!” 

“Does it have insurance?” Piper asked meekly.

“WHAT?” The statue turned back to her, and then back to the boys. “No! This is not hygienic!”

“Hey!” Jason yelled, flying circles around her. “I have a question about my deductibles!”

“What?” the statue cried.

“Hygeia!” Piper shouted. “I need an invoice submitted to Medicare!”

“No, please!”

“I need you to tell me which plan is better!” I cried, noticing that Lit was holding Leo up as he tried to shut down the statue. 

Suddenly, Hygeia began to spin, hollering and flailing her arms. Leo and Lit jumped away, barely avoiding an acid bath.

We all backed up quickly while Hygeia and her snake underwent a violent religious experience.

“Am I witnessing a fucking exorcism?” I squeaked as Lit pulled me back. “What did you do?”

“Idiot mode!” Leo chirped.

“Excuse me?” Piper asked.

“Back at camp,” Jason explained, “Chiron had this ancient gaming system in the rec room. Leo and I used to play it sometimes. You’d compete against, like, computer-controlled opponents, coms—“

“—and they had three difficulty options,” Leo said. “Easy, medium and hard.”

“We know that, we’ve played video games before,” Piper said. “So what did you do?”

“Well... I got bored with those settings.” Leo shrugged. “So I invented a fourth difficulty level: idiot mode. It makes the coms so stupid it’s funny. They always choose exactly the wrong thing to do.”

Piper and I shared a look, then stared at the statue and snake, both of which were writhing and starting to smoke. “Are you sure you set them to idiot mode?” I inquired. “Or should we be concerned they’re about to explode?”

“We’ll know in a minute.”

“What if you set them to extreme difficulty?”

“Then we’ll know that, too.”

The snake stopped shuddering. It coiled up and looked around as if bewildered. Hygeia froze. A puff of smoke drifted from her right ear. She looked down at Leo. “You must die! Hello! You must die!”

She raised her cup and poured acid over her face. Then she turned and marched face-first into the nearest wall. The snake reared up and slammed its head repeatedly into the floor.

“Okay,” Jason said. “I think we have achieved idiot mode.”

“Hello! Die!” Hygeia backed away from the wall and face-slammed it again.

I started to shake just like them. I don’t know why, but suddenly, this felt so utterly wrong. I could distinctly feel Lit dragging me to run for the metal door next to the dais, but I couldn’t peel my eyes off of Hygeia and the snake. 

“Leo— make them stop!” I said hoarsely. He was too busy working the blinking signs to hear me as I started to cry. “LEO! MAKE THEM STOP!”

“Lydia— what’s wrong?” Lit asked immediately.

“LEO!” I screeched. “JUST MAKE THEM STOP IT!”

But he didn’t look over until the signs read: THE DOCTOR IS: IN DA HOUSE. NOW SERVING: ALL DA LADIES LUV LEO!

The metal door swung open, and Leo settled to the floor.

“See, the wait wasn’t so bad!” Leo grinned at us. “The doctor will see us now.”

But I couldn’t even focus on that. As soon as the metal door closed behind us, I let out a panicked scream and sunk to the floor.

“Lydia!” Lit yelled, getting down and taking my hands. “Baby— baby talk to me!”

“Idiot mode!” I cried, feeling every part of my body trembling. My vision was blurry, and everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. “I can’t— I can’t— no—“ 

The worst part is I couldn’t explain. I could see everyone rushing around me, but their faces weren’t clear. I couldn’t hear what they were saying. I looked around, and could vaguely tell that Piper and Lit were arguing something with Leo, trying to figure things out. I looked up with teary eyes as Piper put her hand on my forehead. She was saying something, but I could only just tell her lips were moving. 

How could I explain? Who would really understand? Years ago, doing something like that and manipulating something that tried to kill us into hurting itself wouldn’t have been a problem for me. I might’ve laughed.

But not anymore. I was being assaulted with memories of what it felt like to be out of control of my body, to be hurting myself with my thoughts and actions because I didn’t know any better.

Sure, Hygeia and the snake wouldn’t die. And it was the only way to get us to see Asclepius safely.

But at what cost? I couldn’t help but think we’d just made them feel the agony I felt when I couldn’t speak or move on my own, when everything had been lost and I’d been trapped trying to find my way through the labyrinth that’d appeared in my head the instant I felt into a prison created by the power that was meant to be my shield.

I didn’t have that shield anymore. I was terrified of what would happen if I used my powers. Terrified of how my body would react. Terrified that I’d lose control and hurt someone like I did to Enceladus and Akhlys. 

Was I a monster? I felt like one. This wasn’t normal— this wasn’t okay. I didn’t know how to explain it to them, but this hurt.

I couldn’t just watch someone else lose their mind and not feel guilt.

I don’t know how long I sat there, curled up on the floor, with Lit stroking my hair, but it sure felt like a long time.

“Lydia?” Lit asked gently once I gave a last sniffle and sat up. Leo, Jason, and Piper were sitting all around me, holding the pack I’d brought, that had some last bits of medication for me, and a water bottle. 

“I’m fine,” I said shakily as I tried to get to my feet. But Lit helped me back down.

“You got triggered, didn’t you?” Piper asked softly. “Because of them acting like that. It reminded you of what you felt.”

“Yes,” I replied, looking down as Lit coaxed the bottle into my hand and uncapped the container to hand me some pills. I popped them into my mouth and chugged half the bottle before Jason handed me a tiny block of ambrosia. 

“I’m really sorry, Lydia,” Leo said sincerely. “I really am— I didn’t think it was a problem.”

“It’s not your fault,” I told him, wiping my mouth before taking a small bite of the ambrosia. “You didn’t know. It’s fine. I’m just not— not fully okay yet… you know? But I’ll be fine.”

“Let’s just take a small break, okay?” Piper suggested. I ate the rest of the ambrosia and nodded. A break sounded nice.

Piper scooted forward and pulled me into a hug. Next thing I knew, Lit had joined, then Jason, and finally Leo.

I was glad I hadn’t had to explain much. 

They just understood.


	82. We Meet the God of Medicine... and Spike?

Once I felt well enough to continue, we stood and walked to the end of the hall, where there was a walnut door with a bronze plaque that read: ASCLEPIUS, MD, DMD, DME, DC, DVS, FAAN, OMG, EMT, TTYL, FRCP, ME, IOU, OD, OT, PHARMD, BAMF, RN, PHD, INC., SMH

“SMH?” Lit asked. “Like, ‘Shake My Head?’”

“I’m focusing on ‘OMG,’ ‘TTYL,’ ‘IOU,’ and ‘BAMF,’” I noted. “Like, oh my gods! Talk to you later, I owe you, bad ass motherfucker!”

“Thank gods Hazel isn’t here,” Leo said, smirking at me.

It was cool, though, to think of how many titles he had. Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Medical Dentistry, Doctor of Chiropractic, Emergency Medical Technician, FRCP could be Fellow of the Royal College Physicians, OD could either stand for Doctor of Optometry or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Doctor of Pharmacy, Registered Nurse… etc.

“He’s not an OB/GYN or Master of Surgery,” I mumbled to Lit. “And I still don’t know what most of those mean. And that’s not counting there were probably more acronyms on the list. But of course, I can’t deal with that right now…”

Piper knocked on the door. ‘Dr Asclepius?’

The door flew open. The man inside had a kindly smile, crinkles around his eyes, short salt-and-pepper hair and a well-trimmed beard. He wore a white lab coat over a business suit and a stethoscope around his neck— your stereotypical doctor outfit, except for one thing: Asclepius held a polished black staff with a live green python coiled around it.

I wasn’t too happy to see another snake. The python regarded me with pale yellow eyes, and I had a feeling it knew many things. I miss George and Martha, from my father’s caduceus. 

“Hello!” said Asclepius.

“Doctor.” Piper’s smile was so warm it would’ve melted a Boread. “We’d be so grateful for your help. We need the physician’s cure.”

I wasn’t even her target, but Piper’s charmspeak washed over me irresistibly. I would’ve done anything to help her get that cure. I was already in medical school, so might as well! 

Asclepius put his hand over his heart. “Oh, my dear, I would be delighted to help.”

Piper’s smile wavered. “You would? I mean, of course you would.”

“Come in! Come in!” Asclepius ushered us into his office.

It was like a dream come true. My ideal office. Bookshelves stuffed with medical books, and some of those plastic organ models that I loved to play with as a kid. 

“This is amazing!” I gasped as Asclepius took the big comfy doctor’s chair and laid his staff and serpent across his desk. “Glad you think so!” He said. “Now, please, sit!”

The boys left Piper and I the two chairs, and remained standing behind us. Lit gently massaged my shoulders. 

“You have enough books to supply a student with everything they’d need for any medical pathway,” I breathed, still gazing around and reaching back to squeeze Lit’s hand. “This is incredible.”

“I could lend you some if you’d like,” Asclepius said kindly as he leaned back. “I can’t even tell you how nice it is to actually talk with patients. The last few thousand years, the paperwork has gotten out of control. Rush, rush, rush. Fill in forms. Deal with red tape. Not to mention the giant alabaster guardian who kills everyone in the waiting room. It takes all the fun out of medicine!”

“Yeah,” Lit said. “Hygeia is kind of a downer.”

Asclepius grinned. “My real daughter Hygeia isn’t like that, I assure you. She’s quite nice. At any rate, you did well reprogramming the statue. You have a surgeon’s hands.”

Jason shuddered. “Leo with a scalpel? Don’t encourage him.”

“Wait, that’s true,” I murmured. “I never considered it, but Leo, you would make a good surgeon.”

The doctor god chuckled. “Now, what seems to be the trouble?” He sat forward and peered at Jason. “Hmm... Imperial gold sword wound, but that’s healed nicely. No cancer, no heart problems. Watch that mole on your left foot, but I’m sure it’s benign.”

Jason blanched. “How did you—“

“Oh, of course!” Asclepius said. “You’re a bit short-sighted! Simple fix.”

He opened his drawer, whipped out a prescription pad and an eyeglasses case. He scribbled something on the pad, then handed the glasses and the script to Jason. “Keep the prescription for future reference, but these lenses should work. Try them on.”

“Wait,” Leo said. “Jason is short-sighted?”

Jason opened the case. “I— I have had a little trouble seeing stuff from a distance lately,” he admitted. “I thought I was just tired.” He tried on the glasses, which had thin frames of Imperial gold. “Wow. Yeah. That’s better.”

Piper smiled. “You look very distinguished.”

“I don’t know, man,” Leo said. “I’d go for contacts— glowing orange ones with cat’s-eye pupils. Those would be cool.”

“Glasses are fine,” Jason decided. “Thanks, uh, Dr Asclepius, but that’s not why we came.”

“No?” Asclepius steepled his fingers. “Well, let’s see then…” He turned to Piper. “You seem fine, my dear. Broken arm when you were six. Fell off a horse?”

Piper’s jaw dropped. “How could you possibly know that?”

“Vegetarian diet,” he continued. “No problem, just make sure you’re getting enough iron and protein. Hmm... a little weak in the left shoulder. I assume you got hit with something heavy about a month ago?”

“A sandbag in Rome,” Piper said. “That’s amazing.”

“Alternate ice and a hot pack if it bothers you,” Asclepius advised. “Now you…” he faced Lit. “Properly healed scars from sword wounds, thankfully you knew what to do. Broken leg when you were ten, probably one of your first times in a real sword fighting competition, eh?”

Lit tensed and squeezed my shoulders a bit. “Yeah.”

“You should probably try drinking more tea, you haven’t been relaxing as often. I’m sure that’ll make you feel good on the inside, and help you with your insomnia.”

I looked up, and Lit blushed. That made sense— he probably hadn’t been able to sleep properly since I fell into Tartarus.

Asclepius then looked at me, and raised his eyebrows. “You’ve practically been run over by a herd of sun cattle. But good job healing your many wounds— I see the healing powers do the trick on those. My dear, have you tried starting therapy again? There are many cognitive problems that perhaps need to be spoken about. I’m sure you could use it instead of overworking yourself.”

“Let’s just hope tomorrow ends well, and I’ll take care of myself,” I promised, feeling my cheeks growing hot. “Once I’m back in Med School, I’ll feel better.”

Asclepius smiled. “You have a lot of potential. You don’t need your powers. You’ll find a cure for something, that much I know.” 

He then faced Leo. “Oh, my.”The doctor’s expression turned grim. The friendly twinkle disappeared from his eyes. “Oh, I see..” The doctor’s expression said, I am so, so sorry.

“What?” Jason’s new glasses flashed. “What’s wrong with Leo?”

“Hey, doc.” Leo shot him a drop it look. “We came for the physician’s cure. Can you help us? I’ve got some Pylosian mint here and a very nice yellow daisy.” He set the ingredients on the desk, carefully avoiding the snake’s mouth.

“Hold it,” Piper said. “Is there something wrong with Leo or not?”

“Might fall under patient confidentiality,” I said quickly. “Leo’s okay…”

Asclepius cleared his throat and nodded to what I’d said. “Yes... never mind. Forget I said anything. Now, you want the physician’s cure.”

Piper frowned. “But—“

“Seriously, guys,” Leo said, “I’m fine, except for the fact that Gaea’s destroying the world tomorrow. Let’s focus.”

They didn’t look happy about it, but Asclepius forged ahead. “So this daisy was picked by my father, Apollo?”

“Yep,” Lit said, probably trying to lift everyone’s spirits. “He sends hugs and kisses.”

Asclepius picked up the flower and sniffed it. “I do hope Dad comes through this war all right. Zeus can be... quite unreasonable. Now, the only missing ingredient is the heartbeat of the chained god.”

“I have it,” Piper said. “At least... I can summon the makhai.”

“Excellent. Just a moment, dear.” He looked at his python. “Spike, are you ready?”

Leo stifled a laugh. “Your snake’s name is Spike?”

Spike looked at him balefully. He hissed, revealing a crown of spikes around his neck like a basilisk’s. I could hear he said _‘shut the fuck up_.’ 

“Jeez, your snake has a foul mouth,” I said as I leaned forward to pat its head. 

“My bad,’ Leo said quickly. “Of course your name is Spike.”

“He’s a little grumpy,” Asclepius said. “People are always confusing my staff with the staff of Hermes, which has two snakes, obviously. Over the centuries, people have called Hermes’s staff the symbol of medicine, when of course it should be my staff. Spike feels slighted. George and Martha get all the attention. Anyway…”

I didn’t want to argue that Hermes’s staff still technically counted, especially not when Asclepius peered over at me expectantly. “How about next time, I bring you some rats, huh Spike? George and Martha like the ones I pick.”

Spike seemed to like this. Asclepius set the daisy and poison in front of Spike. “Pylosian mint— certainty of death. The curse of Delos— anchoring that which cannot be anchored. Now the final ingredient: the heartbeat of the chained god— chaos, violence and fear of mortality.” He turned to Piper. “My dear, you may release the makhai.”

Piper closed her eyes.

Wind swirled through the room. Angry voices wailed. Then Spike unhinged his jaw and swallowed the angry wind. His neck ballooned as the spirits of battle went down his throat. He snapped up the daisy and the vial of Pylosian mint for dessert.

“Won’t the poison hurt him?” Lit asked, looking worried for the snake.

“No, no,” Asclepius said. “Wait and see.”

A moment later Spike belched out a new vial— a stoppered glass tube no bigger than my finger. Dark red liquid glowed inside.

“The physician’s cure.” Asclepius picked up the vial and turned it in the light. His expression became serious, then bewildered. “Wait... why did I agree to make this?”

Piper placed her hand palm up on the desk. “Because we need it to save the world. It’s very important. You’re the only one who can help us.”

Her charmspeak was so potent even Spike the snake relaxed. He curled around his staff and went to sleep. Asclepius’s expression softened, like he was easing himself into a hot bath.

“Of course,” the god said. “I forgot. But you must be careful. Hades hates it when I raise people from the dead. The last time I gave someone this potion, the Lord of the Underworld complained to Zeus, and I was killed by a lightning bolt. BOOM!”

I flinched. “Well, if it’s any consolation, you look fine for a dead guy.”

“Yeah, better than me at any rate,” Lit added, making me reach back to smack his side. “Kidding, kidding, I know you think the scars are hot.”

“They are,” I hissed back.

“Oh, I got better,” Asclepius added. “That was part of the compromise. You see, when Zeus killed me, my father Apollo got very upset. He couldn’t take out his anger on Zeus directly; the king of the gods was much too powerful. So Apollo took revenge on the makers of lightning bolts instead. He killed some of the Elder Cyclopes. For that, Zeus punished Apollo... quite severely. Finally, to make peace, Zeus agreed to make me a god of medicine, with the understanding that I wouldn’t bring anyone else back to life.” Asclepius’s eyes filled with uncertainty. “And yet here I am... giving you the cure.”

“You told me I’d cure something,” I said. “And who better to learn from than you? Consider it a Stanford medical student and her friends learning from the god of medicine.”

“Definitely, it’s really important,” Piper said, “you’re willing to make an exception, right?”

“Yes…” Reluctantly, Asclepius handed Piper the vial. “At any rate, the potion must be administered as soon as possible after death. It can be injected or poured into the mouth. And there is only enough for one person. Do you understand me?” He looked directly at Leo.

“We understand,” Piper promised. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with us, Asclepius? Your guardian is out of commission. You’d be really helpful aboard the Argo II.”

Asclepius smiled wistfully. “The Argo... back when I was a demigod, I sailed on the original ship, you know. Ah, to be a carefree adventurer again!”

“We’d love if you could come with,” I said. “You could teach me anything I need to know that perhaps schools don’t teach anymore.”

“Alas, I cannot. Zeus will already be quite angry with me for helping you. Besides, the guardian will reprogram itself soon. You should leave.” Asclepius rose. “Best wishes, demigods.” He turned back to me. “You know the answer already. You just need to ponder on it a bit. You can cure others like them.”

Before I could ask what he meant, he continued talking. “And, if you see my father again, please... give him my regrets.”

As we passed through the waiting room, I covered my face once I saw statue of Hygeia was sitting on a bench, pouring acid on her face and singing ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’, while her golden snake gnawed at her foot. 

Back on the Argo II, we gathered in the mess hall and filled in the rest of the crew.

“I don’t like it,” Jason said. “The way Asclepius looked at Leo—“

“Aw, he just sensed my heartsickness.” Leo tried for a smile. “You know, I’m dying to see Calypso.”

“That is so sweet,” Piper said. “But I’m not sure that’s it.”

“Look, I’m sure if something was wrong with Leo, I’d know,” I said quickly. “So maybe Asclepius sees something far in the future. Maybe that’s why he said I’d cure something. Leo is going to be fine. Let’s focus.”

Percy frowned as Piper set down the glowing red vial in the middle of the table. “Any of us might die, right? So we just need to keep the potion handy.”

“Assuming only one of us dies,” Jason pointed out. “There’s only one dose.”

Hazel, Frank, Lit, and I stared at Leo out of impulse. He gave us a look, like ‘Knock it off.’

The others didn’t see the full picture at all. Lit and I had talked it over with Frank, Hazel, and Leo last night.

To storm or fire the world must fall— Jason or Leo. They’d told me that in Olympia, Nike had warned that one of the four demigods present would die: Percy, Hazel, Frank or Leo. Only one name overlapped those two lists: Leo. And, if Leo’s plan was going to work, he couldn’t have anybody else close by when he pulled the trigger.

I wished there was another way. But I didn’t think we could find it in time. 

“We have to keep our options open,” Piper suggested. “We need, like, a designated medic to carry the potion— somebody who can react quickly and heal whoever gets killed.”

“Good idea, Beauty Queen,” Leo lied. “I nominate you.”

Piper blinked. “What? But Lydia is the doctor here… and... Annabeth is wiser. Hazel can move faster on Arion. Frank can turn into animals—“

“But you’ve got a heart,” I noted, squeezing her hand. 

“Leo’s right,” Annabeth agreed. “When the time comes, you’ll know what to do.”

“Yeah,” Jason added. “I have a feeling you’re the best choice, Pipes. You’re going to be there with us at the end, whatever happens, storm or fire.”

Leo picked up the vial. “Is everyone in agreement?”

No one objected.

What had Asclepius actually meant? Cure others like them? Did it have something to do with Leo? But he was just one. Unless he suddenly changed his pronouns from he/him to they/them? 

Leo looked one by one at Lit, Frank, and I before locking eyes with Hazel. He pulled a chamois cloth from his tool belt and made a big show of wrapping up the physician’s cure. Then he presented the package to Piper. My heart pounded in my chest, thinking of what was going to happen tomorrow. 

“Okay, then,” he said. “Athens tomorrow morning, gang. Be ready to fight some giants.”

“Yeah…” Frank murmured. “I know I’ll sleep well.”

After dinner broke up, I noticed Jason and Piper tried to waylay Leo. They wanted to talk about what had happened with Asclepius, but Leo evaded them.

“I’ve got to work on the engine,” he said. “Lydia, can you come with?”

I let Lit give me a quick kiss before following him down to the engine room. I hadn’t been there in awhile, but I couldn’t focus on that, because Leo sighed and reached into his tool belt and pulled out the actual vial of physician’s cure—not the trick-of-the-Mist version he’d handed to Piper, courtesy of Hazel.

Buford the Wonder Table blew steam at him.

“Hey, man, I had to,” Leo said as he sat down, patting the spot beside him for me to sit down. 

Buford didn’t seem to like his response, and activated his holographic Hedge. ‘PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!’

“Look, it’s got to be this way. Otherwise we’ll all die.”

Buford made a plaintive squeal, then clattered into the corner in a sulk.

“I’m sorry it has to be this way,” I whispered as he stared at the engine. He’d spent so much time putting it together. He’d sacrificed months of sweat and pain and loneliness, especially on the days Lit and I couldn’t help him. 

“It’s like, the Argo II is approaching the end of its voyage,” Leo mumbled. “My whole life. My childhood with Tía Callida. My… my mom’s death in that warehouse fire. All those stupid years as a foster kid. Those long months at Camp Half-Blood with you, and Lit, Jason and Piper— all of it will culminate tomorrow morning in one final battle. That’s it. Kaboom. No more Leo.”

I took his hand and squeezed it. “You have done so much for us, Leo. So much. I’m never going to forget what my little brother did for us. No one will. Think about it. All of this… your brilliant mind… led us to where we are today. We got the physician’s cure. Everything is going to be okay.”

“Hopefully,” he said. “Lydia— you have to promise me that you won’t let them lose their minds.”

“I promise.”

“No, seriously. You… you understand death more because you know what loss feels like. If I don’t come back… you can’t let them lose it.”

“Trust me, I’ve lost my mind and I’ve lost those I love. I’ll be there for them. But don’t be cynical… you’re coming back to us.” 

He just shrugged. “I’m sorry about today. I didn’t think…”

“Don’t blame yourself. Really, it’s okay. I’m fine. Day after tomorrow— I swear— we’ll be eating ice cream or something.”

“Well, I have to get Calypso first,” Leo said. “But eventually… I’ll take you up on that. I get a front row seat at your graduation… no matter what… right?”

I offered him a small smile. “Of course.”

“Thanks, Lydia,” he sighed. “Thanks for being a great big sister.” He opened the access panel, and I waited as Festus’s voice creaked over the intercom. I tuned out to not eavesdrop on their private conversation.

“Yeah, buddy,” Leo told him. “It’s time.”

More creaking.

“I know,” Leo said. “Together till the end?”

Festus squeaked affirmatively.

Leo checked the ancient bronze astrolabe, which was now fitted with the crystal from Ogygia he’d told me about. He mumbled something under his breath, then flipped a switch and brought the navigation device online. He set the timer for twenty-four hours.

Finally he opened the engine’s ventilator line and pushed inside the vial of physician’s cure. It disappeared into the veins of the ship with a decisive thunk.

“Too late to turn back now,” Leo told me with a pained smile. He curled on the floor and closed his eyes. “I love you, Lydia.”

“I love you too, Leo,” I said as I leaned down to hug him and kiss his forehead. He wiggled a bit, and I could tell by how he trembled that he probably needed a good cry. 

I held him for a bit, not saying anything, and just stroking his hair until he fell asleep. Then I stood and gently draped a blanket over him before returning to my room.

I found Lit waiting on the bed. “How is he?”

I shrugged. “As good as can be expected. I’m worried…” I removed my shirt and slowly crawled in beside him.

“We could die tomorrow,” Lit mumbled realistically. 

“We’re all going to be okay,” I whispered as he wrapped his arms around me. I looked up at the clock and sighed. “Midnight. August first. Happy five months as a couple…”

Lit turned me to face him, and kissed me softly on the lips. “I love you so much. So, so much. You have made my existence… absolutely worth it. Before, I didn’t think anything really defined my life. I didn’t have motivation. I was a murderer, a remorseless playboy that no one liked. But now, I have purpose… you gave me purpose. I have a law degree, and a beautiful, badass girlfriend and… I just love you, a lot. I don’t want to lose you. But if I die, you just need to know how much you meant to me.”

“Lit…” I started, feeling my eyes watering. 

“You are the highlight of every year of my life, Lydia,” he continued, his hands caressing all over my face and arms, pulling me into his chest for him to kiss my forehead. “If I die tomorrow— today… don’t stop yourself from falling in love again. You deserve so much. I’m so blessed that you chose me. I want you to be able to become a badass surgeon without holding back from love. I love you. I love you so much….”

I craned my neck up and kissed him, and I knew immediately what I wanted to do. Even if I didn’t believe we would die and never come back, I knew this may be our final opportunity.

“I love you,” I mumbled, pulling him onto me and wrapping my legs around his waist. “And although I doubt any of us will die forever… this may be our last chance…”

I didn’t need to elaborate for him to get the memo and pull the sheets over our heads for the rest of that passionate night. 


	83. We Meet The Gemini

When I woke up, I found myself still burrowed under the sheets beside Lit.

He stirred as I sat up slowly. It was no secret that everything was different now. Our desperation, our love, our worry, all had been meshed into passion that gave me a vivid memory I wouldn’t get out of my head for a while. 

“Lit?” I asked softly, patting his shoulder. He groaned, then opened his eyes, before giving me a goofy grin. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” I whispered, reaching my hand out to caress his face. He caught my wrist gently and brought it to kiss the back of my hand. 

“Happy doomsday,” I added once he sat up and wrapped me back in his arms.

“I love you,” he said without hesitation as he scooped me up, making me shriek a bit as he moved my body back onto his. “I love you, so much. Forever and always.”

Once we got washed and ready, we shared a last tender kiss before going up for breakfast, and finding almost everyone gave us a weird look, though I ignored it. 

None of it mattered. Everything culminated into either victory or defeat today. 

We found that the ship had just docked at the harbour in Piraeus, on the outskirts of Athens. Piper had already had breakfast, and was being put on watch while the rest of us geared up for combat— checking our weapons and armour, loading the ballistae and catapults. 

This was it. Our destination. Somewhere past the many rows of cruise ships, and the hills crowded with buildings, we would find the Acropolis. Then the journey would come to an end.

I couldn’t help but wonder how it would actually end. This prophecy, this adventure, with all its trials and suffering and not to mention the actual injuries we all got... it was coming to a close. 

I remembered when Leo, Piper, and Jason had first arrived. How I had quickly figured out what this all could mean. How terrified I’d been that things would go completely and utterly wrong.

_Annabeth fixed her eyes on Chiron. "Why are you so quiet? What is it we're facing?"_

_The old centaur's face looked like it'd aged ten years in a matter of minutes. The lines around his eyes were deeply etched. "My dear, in this, I cannot help you. I am so sorry."_

_Annabeth blinked. "You've never... you've never kept information from me— or from Lydia. Even the last great prophecy—"_

_"I will be in my office," he said with a heavy voice. "Lydia, I would like for you to accompany me. We need to talk. Rachel, will you watch the girl? Call Argus to bring her to the infirmary, if you'd like. And Annabeth, you should speak with Jason. Tell him about— about the Greek and Roman gods."_

_"What?" Annabeth cried. "Why Lydia— and why not me?"_

_"She is eighteen, Annabeth. There are certain things I can say to her that I cannot say to you."_

_She looked at me, and she seemed jealous._

_Chiron turned his wheelchair and rolled off down the hallway. Annabeth's eyes turned stormy as I followed Chiron._

_"So what, me being eighteen means I'm entitled to more information?" I muttered as we entered his office. I sat on the beanbag chair in the corner._

_"No," he said, closing the door. "Not exactly. But there is a sort of loophole. I know you have theories. I can see how your eyes were darting around, piecing things together. My oath roughly states I must not tell any demigod what is happening at Olympus because they will not understand. However, if your theories match up, it's not me telling you anything, is it? You're old enough to handle it. Additionally... Annabeth is in a very emotional state. You have recovered well, by now. She is still in distress because of Percy."_

_"I feel bad," I mumbled. "I'm not as distressed."_

_"Why do you feel like that?"_

_"Because I just have a feeling. A feeling that Percy is fine."_

_"Why do you say that?"_

_"It can't be a coincidence, can it?" I said. "Jason appears while Percy disappears. Percy and the rest of us being from a Greek camp with Greek gods and Greek problems. Remember how the titan fortress at Mount Othrys was destroyed? And we don't know how? Kronos had said he'd had his brother Krios there. And when we went to check, Krios was gone and the place was just destroyed. Now Jason, comes with SPQR and tattoos that I'm 99.99% certain are Roman. Him knowing the Roman names for the gods. Chiron, I think there's another camp somewhere in the United States, and it's specifically for Roman demigods."_

_I took a deep breath. "Hera sent Annabeth to the Grand Canyon for a reason. Jason came back, which means he has something to do with Percy. I'm almost entirely certain that Hera switched them places. Because I can sense a big threat after all that talk now. Something worse than Titans? My guess is giants. They've not been a problem yet but now they seem to be because this is MAJOR. I think Hera might've switched them so the Camps would meet."_

_Chiron nodded slowly, looking very impressed. "Well, I can safely say you are not wrong."_

_My lip twitched. "Annabeth said it was too far fetched."_

_"Annabeth has always been slightly more narrow minded, as brilliant as she is. Lydia... this is indeed what is happening."_

_I threw my arms into the air. "Just great. Would it be too cocky of me to assume I'll be one of the eight in THIS stupid prophecy?"_

_Chiron laughed, then stopped. "I'm sorry, that's not supposed to be funny."_

_"It kind of was though, I was trying to liven the mood."_

_He rubbed his forehead. "I am... not entirely sure but I would assume you would be a vital part of it."_

_"Great," I said bitterly. "What's it going to take from me this time? Maybe Percy and Annabeth will die, or worse! And Rachel will be left in a coma or something. Maybe the Camp will blow up! Maybe the gods will just kill me outright!"_

_I didn't realize I'd started crying._

_"My dear," Chiron said, "let us not think of that."_

_"It's impossible not to! I think about it every day! Sure it doesn't hurt the same but I lost... so many friends. My brother. And someone I...."_

_I couldn't say 'loved.'_

_"We won't know for certain," Chiron said. "But do not despair. Do not let this get to you."_

_"I know I have to be strong," I groaned, crossing my arms. "But I don't want to be. I just wanted a normal senior year and now, what? I might not get to graduate if some stupid giant flattens me? Shitty way to die considering what I've had happen to me."_

_"Lydia," Chiron said gently. "Please, take a deep breath. You have figured out the situation. That is all. Prophecies always have double meanings. It may not end so badly. Try and be optimistic."_

_I grumbled. "Fine. Maybe Percy and Annabeth will go into senior year together and then college. Maybe the prophecy will end in me becoming a super awesome surgeon or some bullshit. Ha! Maybe I'll fall in love with one of the others. Ugh. Chiron, this is stupid."_

_"I never said you had to imagine things that would make you want to throw up," he said with a short laugh._

_I shrugged. "That's as optimistic as I can get."_

_He nodded. "Please don't think too much about this. Promise?"_

_"Alright," I mumbled. "I promise."_

Lit helped me adjust the last few straps of my armour, snapping me out of my thoughts before we headed for the deck to join Piper. We shared a shy look, and I leaned over to kiss his cheek before taking his hand.

I had fallen in love with one of the others.

And I didn’t regret it.

We made our way up to the deck and found Piper looking like she had just been about to call us. “Lydia,” she said immediately. “Look— over there.”

I peered over the railing and spotted what she wanted me to see— some snake guys slithering along the docks, winding through crowds of mortal tourists who paid them no attention.

“What the—?” I mumbled. “Um… Annabeth? Can you come up here…”

Annabeth and Percy came within seconds. 

“Oh, great,” Percy said. “Dracaenae.”

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. “I don’t think so. At least not like any I’ve seen. Dracaenae have two serpent trunks for legs. These guys just have one.”

“They look familiar but also… like nothing I’ve ever seen,” I mused.

“I think they’re called something Zodiac related,” Lit mentioned. “I forget what exactly. Aries? No… Pisces? No…”

“They’re more human on top,” Percy noticed. “Not all scaly and green like dracaenae.”

“Do we talk to them or fight them?” I inquired. “‘Cause they don’t look too… evil? But also evil at the same time… I don’t know.”

“Me neither,” Piper sighed. “The one in the lead reminds me of my dad when he grew a beard for his role in King of Sparta.”

I had only seen the poster, but she was right. The snake man held his head high. His face was chiselled and bronze, his eyes black as basalt, his curly dark hair glistening with oil. His upper body rippled with muscles, covered only by a Greek chlamys – a white wool cloak loosely wrapped and pinned at the shoulder. From the waist down, his body was one giant serpent trunk— about eight feet of green tail undulating behind him as he moved.

In one hand he carried a staff topped with a glowing green jewel. In his other, he carried a platter covered with a silver dome, like a main course for a fancy dinner.

The two guys behind him appeared to be guards. They wore bronze breastplates and elaborate helmets topped with horsehair bristles. Their spears were tipped with green stone points. Their oval shields were emblazoned with a large Greek letter K— kappa.

They stopped a few yards from the Argo II. The leader looked up and studied us. His expression was intense but inscrutable. He might have been angry or worried or terribly in need of a restroom.

“Permission to come aboard.” His rasping voice reminded me almost of Kronos, which made my skin crawl. 

“Who are you?” Piper asked.

He fixed his dark eyes on her. “I am Kekrops, the first and eternal king of Athens. I would welcome you to my city.” He held up the covered platter. “Also, I brought a Bundt cake.”

“Bundt cake?” I said. “That’s suspicious. A trick?” 

“Probably,” Annabeth agreed. 

“At least he brought dessert.” Percy smiled down at the snake guys. “Welcome aboard!”

“Bundt cake for the win,” Lit added.

Piper, Annabeth, and I shared a look as Lit and Percy watched excitedly, waiting for the cake.

Kekrops agreed to leave his guards above deck with Buford the table, who ordered them to drop and give him twenty push-ups. The guards seemed to take this as a challenge.

Meanwhile, the king of Athens was invited to the mess hall for a ‘get to know you’ meeting. 

“Please take a seat,” Jason offered.

Kekrops wrinkled his nose. “Snake people do not sit.”

“Please remain standing,” Leo said. He cut the cake and stuffed a piece in his mouth before any of us could warn him it might be poisoned, or inedible for mortals, or just plain bad.

“Dang!” He grinned. “Snake people know how to make Bundt cake. Kind of orangey, with a hint of honey. Needs a glass of milk.”

“Snake people do not drink milk,” Kekrops said. “We are lactose-intolerant reptiles.”

“Me, too!” Frank said. “I mean... lactose intolerant. Not a reptile. Though I can be a reptile sometimes—“

“Anyway,” Hazel interrupted, “King Kekrops, what brings you here? How did you know we’d arrived?”

“I know everything that happens in Athens,” Kekrops said. “I was the city’s founder, its first king, born of the earth. I am the one who judged the dispute between Athena and Poseidon, and chose Athena to be the patron of the city.”

“No hard feelings, though,” Percy muttered.

Annabeth elbowed him. “I’ve heard of you, Kekrops. You were the first to offer sacrifices to Athena. You built her first shrine on the Acropolis.”

“Correct.” Kekrops sounded bitter, like he regretted his decision. “My people were the original Athenians— the gemini.”

“Gemini!” Lit said triumphantly. “That’s what it is!”

“Like your zodiac sign?” Percy asked. “I’m a Leo.”

“No, stupid,” Leo said. “I’m a Leo. You’re a Percy.”

“Will you two stop it?” Hazel chided. “I think he means gemini like doubled—half man, half snake. That’s what his people are called. He’s a geminus, singular.”

“Yes…” Kekrops leaned away from Hazel as if she somehow offended him. “Millenia ago, we were driven underground by the two-legged humans, but I know the ways of the city better than any. I came to warn you. If you try to approach the Acropolis aboveground, you will be destroyed.”

Jason stopped nibbling his cake. “You mean... by you?”

“By Porphyrion’s armies,” said the snake king. “The Acropolis is ringed with great siege weapons— onagers.”

“More onagers?” Frank protested. “Did they have a sale on them or something?”

“The Cyclopes,” I mumbled, making Hazel nod. “They’re supplying Octavian and the giants.”

Percy grunted. “Like we needed more proof that Octavian is on the wrong side.”

“That is not the only threat,” Kekrops warned. “The air is filled with storm spirits and gryphons. All roads to the Acropolis are patrolled by the Earthborn.”

Lit drummed his fingers on the Bundt cake cover. “What do you propose we do? We’re not going to give up.”

“I offer you an alternative,” said Kekrops. “Underground passage to the Acropolis. For the sake of Athena, for the sake of the gods, I will help you.”

“What’s the catch?” I asked immediately, remembering the dream I’d shared with Piper. The giantess Periboia had said that we would find friends in Athens as well as enemies. Perhaps the giantess had meant Kekrops and his snake people. 

Still, there was something in Kekrops’s voice that I didn’t like— that razor-against-strop tone, as if he were preparing to make a sharp cut. Its resemblance to Kronos was something I couldn’t let go of. How many times had we been tricked? How many times had things gone to shit because we miscalculated? It wasn’t worth letting the feeling go if we could all potentially get hurt. Just like I didn’t trust Kronos, I wouldn’t trust Kekrops. It would have been foolish of me.

Kekrops turned those inscrutable dark eyes on me, and I shivered. “Only a small party of demigods— no more than three— could pass undetected by the giants. Otherwise your scent would give you away. But our underground passages could lead you straight into the ruins of the Acropolis. Once there, you could disable the siege weapons by stealth and allow the rest of your crew to approach. With luck, you could take the giants by surprise. You might be able to disrupt their ceremony.”

“Ceremony?” Leo asked. “Oh... like, to wake Gaea.”

“Even now it has begun,” Kekrops warned. “Can you not feel the earth trembling? We, the gemini, are your best chance.”

“Are you sure?” I looked over at Piper, who looked even more suspicious than me. 

“It’s too direct for such a small group,” Lit added. “They could be killed and we’d never know.”

“And we’re on the enemy’s doorstep,” Jason added. “We’re being asked to split up. Isn’t that how people get killed in horror movies?”

“Also,” Percy said, “Gaea wants us to reach the Parthenon. She wants our blood to water the stones and all that other psycho garbage. Won’t we be playing right into her hands?”

There was a brief silence as we all thought about it. 

Kekrops’s offer made sense. At least, it sounded like the least suicidal option. But I was completely certain the snake king was hiding his true intentions. But how would we prove it?

That’s when Piper began to sing.

I’d never heard the song before, but it sounded like it was called ‘Summertime.’ Kekrops stared at her in wonder. He began to sway.

We all stared in wonder as well. It was hard not to— she had a beautiful voice. She had never even done a sing along at camp— both she and I disliked them. Me, because of my singing and dance lessons as a kid that helped me get away from my mother, but were still a terrible experience. 

Now her words filled the mess hall. Everyone listened, transfixed. She finished the first verse. No one spoke for a count of five.

“Pipes,” Jason said, “I had no idea.”

“That was beautiful,” Leo agreed. “Maybe not... you know, Calypso beautiful, but still…” 

Piper kept the snake king’s gaze. “What are your real intentions?”

“To deceive you,” he said in a trance, still swaying. “We hope to lead you into the tunnels and destroy you.”

“I fucking knew it,” I mumbled as Piper asked ‘Why?’

“The Earth Mother has promised us great rewards. If we spill your blood under the Parthenon, that will be sufficient to complete her awakening.”

“But you serve Athena,” Piper said. “You founded her city.”

Kekrops made a low hiss. “And in return the goddess abandoned me. Athena replaced me with a two-legged human king. She drove my daughters mad. They leaped to their deaths from the cliffs of the Acropolis. The original Athenians, the gemini, were driven underground and forgotten. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, turned her back on us, but wisdom comes from the earth as well. We are, first and last, the children of Gaea. The Earth Mother has promised us a place in the sun of the upper world.”

“Gaea is lying,” Piper said. “She intends to destroy the upper world, not give it to anyone.”

Kekrops bared his fangs. “Then we will be no worse off than we were under the treacherous gods!” He raised his staff, but Piper launched into another verse of ‘Summertime’.

The snake king’s arms went limp. His eyes glassed over.

Piper sang a few more lines, then asked another question: “The giants’ defences, the underground passage to the Acropolis – how much of what you told us is true?”

“All of it,” Kekrops said. “The Acropolis is heavily defended, just as I described. Any approach aboveground would be impossible.”

“So you could guide us through your tunnels,” Piper said. “That’s also true?”

Kekrops frowned. “Yes…”

“And if you ordered your people not to attack us,” she continued, “they would obey?”

“Yes, but…” Kekrops shuddered. “Yes, they would obey. Three of you at most could go without attracting the attention of the giants.”

Annabeth’s eyes darkened. “Piper, we’d be crazy to try it. He’ll kill us at the first opportunity.”

“Yes,” the snake king agreed. “Only this girl’s music controls me. I hate it. Please, sing some more.” Piper gave him another verse.

“I should go,” Hazel said thoughtfully, “if it’s underground.”

“Never,” Kekrops said. “A child of the Underworld? My people would find your presence revolting. No charming music would keep them from slaying you.”

Hazel swallowed. “Or I could stay here.”

“Me and Percy,” Annabeth suggested.

“Unwise,” I added. “Gaea wants you and Percy specifically to water the stones. That’s not going to work at all.”

“I know.” Annabeth’s expression was grim. “But it’s the most logical choice. The oldest shrines on the Acropolis are dedicated to Poseidon and Athena. Kekrops, wouldn’t that mask our approach?”

“Yes,” the snake king admitted. “Your... your scent would be difficult to discern. The ruins always radiate the power of those two gods.”

“And me,” Piper added. “You’ll need me to keep our friend here in line.”

Jason squeezed her hand. “I still hate the idea of splitting up.”

“What about adding another one or two, then?” Percy asked. “If Annabeth and I’s scent will already be masked, can’t we use that logic to have one or two more people go with us?”

Kekrops hesitated, but Piper began to sing again, the final bit of her song, and he nodded. “Two would be very very risky, but one more may not hurt much.”

“Hazel can’t go,” Annabeth said thoughtfully. “Frank, Leo, and Lit— I think you can all help with something I have planned.”

“No,” Lit said immediately. “I’m not going to be separated from Lydia.”

“Lit…” I said gently. “Maybe it’s our best shot.”

“Lydia and Annabeth will be best to disable the onagers,” Frank argued, eyeing Annabeth. 

“Exactly,” I said. “I’ve worked with Leo a lot— but so have you, Lit. It has to be one or the other to have a bit more mechanical knowledge at hand. But if you’re better suited for Annabeth’s plan, maybe that’ll work best.”

Lit seemed hesitant, but Jason put his hand on his shoulder.

“You, Frank, and Leo will help with Annabeth’s plan, and Hazel and I will prepare everything else that we need,” he said. “They’ll be okay.”

“That plan could work,” Kekrops agreed. “If I do not kill you first.”

“Let me explain my plan,” Annabeth announced. “Piper, can you keep our friend musically incapacitated?”

Piper started a different song. Lit came closer and gave me a hard kiss on the lips.

“I’ll be okay,” I whispered. “I’ll be fine— I love you.”

“I love you too…” he gave me a little half smile before he was led away. 

“Well.” Percy rose and offered his hand to Jason before he left. “Until we meet again at the Acropolis, bro. I’ll be the one killing giants.”


	84. Chaos Becomes The Norm

Following the port of the Acropolis, we didn’t get to see anything of Athens except for dark, putrid tunnels. 

The snake men led us through an iron storm grate at the docks, straight into their underground lair, which smelled of rotting fish, mould and snakeskin.

The atmosphere probably made it really hard to sing about happy things, but I admired Piper could keep doing it. If she stopped for longer than a minute or two, Kekrops and his guards started hissing and looking angry.

“I don’t like this place,” Annabeth murmured. “Reminds me of when I was underneath Rome.”

Kekrops hissed with laughter. “Our domain is much older. Much, much older.”

Annabeth slipped her hand into Percy’s, which made Piper grab my hand immediately. Maybe it was because she felt she and I both needed something to hold onto, or maybe because she remembered last time, I lost it because Percabeth kept having their little moments and neglecting me. 

Her beautiful voice echoed through the tunnels. As we travelled further into the lair, more snake people gathered to hear her, which made my skin crawl. Soon we had a procession following behind us— dozens of gemini all swaying and slithering.

“This is a nice conga line,” I mumbled. Piper seemed to want to laugh, but kept singing. 

We passed through crude stone chambers littered with bones. We climbed slopes so steep and slippery it was nearly impossible to keep our footing. At one point, we passed a warm cave the size of a gymnasium filled with snake eggs, their tops covered with a layer of silver filaments like slimy Christmas tinsel.

“That’s not a sight I ever want to see again,” I said to Percy. 

“You’d rather they be little human embryos, hmm, Little Castellan?” He whispered back.

I found myself able to smile a bit. I hadn’t been called that in a long time.

As we went on, more and more snake people joined our procession. Slithering behind Piper, they sounded like an army of football players shuffling with sandpaper on their cleats.

There must have been hundreds— maybe thousands of gemini down here. If we attracted all of them…. Good Luck, Charlie. Even though that show had come out just this past April, I already thought the reference was fitting.

Slowly, I started to hear things. I squeezed Piper’s hand, and she looked at me as if she heard it through.

It sounded like a heartbeat. Maybe all of us were hearing ourselves, but as we kept on, it got louder and deeper, echoing through the corridors.

That’s when I realized the persistent boom ba-boom was all around us, resonating through the stone and the air.

 _I wake_. A woman’s voice, as clear as Piper’s singing.

Annabeth froze. “Oh, that’s not good.”

“It’s like Tartarus,” Percy said, his voice edgy. “You remember... his heartbeat. When he appeared—“

“Don’t,” Annabeth said. “Just don’t.”

I was lucky I didn’t even remember.

“Sorry.” In the light of his sword, Percy’s face was like a large firefly— a hovering, momentary smudge of brightness in the dark.

The voice of Gaea spoke again, louder: _At last._

Piper’s singing wavered.

I felt terrified now, but did my best to just focus on Piper’s words. 

Finally we reached the top of a steep slope, where the path ended in a curtain of green goo.

Kekrops faced us. “Beyond this camouflage is the Acropolis. You must remain here. I will check that your way is clear.”

“Wait.” Piper turned to address the crowd of gemini. “There is only death above. You will be safer in the tunnels. Hurry back. Forget you saw us. Protect yourselves.”

The fear in her voice channelled perfectly with the charmspeak. Honestly, Piper could very well have been the most powerful demigod I’d ever met. And she was just talking. The snake people, even the guards, turned and slithered into the darkness, leaving only the king.

“Kekrops,” Piper said, “you’re planning to betray us as soon as you step through that goo.”

“Yes,” he agreed. “I will alert the giants. They will destroy you.” Then he hissed. “Why did I tell you that?”

“Listen to the heartbeat of Gaea,” Piper urged. “You can sense her rage, can’t you?”

Kekrops wavered. The end of his staff glowed dimly. “I can, yes. She is angry.”

“She’ll destroy everything,” Piper said. “She’ll reduce the Acropolis to a smoking crater. Athens— your city— will be utterly destroyed, your people along with it. You believe me, don’t you?” 

“I— I do.”

“Whatever hatred you have for humans, for demigods, for Athena, we are the only chance to stop Gaia. So you will not betray us. For your own sake, and your people, you will scout the territory and make sure the way is clear. You will say nothing to the giants. Then you will return.”

“That is... what I’ll do.” Kekrops disappeared through the membrane of goo.

Annabeth shook her head in amazement. “Piper, that was incredible.”

“We’ll see if it works” Piper sat down on the cool stone floor. 

“I think it will,” I said as I sat beside her, squeezing her hand once more. Percy handed her a canteen of water.

“Thanks,” Piper said hoarsely before taking a drink. “And thanks for the optimism, Lydia. I’m just not sure the charm will last. If Kekrops comes back in two minutes with an army of giants, then no.”

The heartbeat of Gaea echoed through the floor, making me lean onto Piper, who put her arm around me and rubbed my side.

That was enough to make me feel safe.

“Do you guys ever think about your families?” she asked.

Percy’s gaze became unfocused immediately. His lower lip quivered. “My mom... I—I haven’t even seen her since Hera made me disappear. I called her from Alaska. I gave Coach Hedge some letters to deliver to her. I…” His voice broke. “She’s all I’ve got. Her and my stepdad, Paul.”

“And Tyson,” Annabeth reminded him. “And Grover. And—“

“Yeah, of course,” Percy said. “Thanks. I feel much better.”

Piper let out a nervous laugh. “What about you, Annabeth?” 

“My dad... my stepmom and stepbrothers.” She turned the drakon-bone blade in her lap. “After all I’ve been through in the past year, it seems stupid that I resented them for so long. And my dad’s relatives... I haven’t thought about them in years. I have an uncle and cousin in Boston.”

Percy looked shocked. “You, with the Yankees cap? You’ve got family in Red Sox country?”

Annabeth smiled weakly. “I never see them. My dad and my uncle don’t get along. Some old rivalry. I don’t know. It’s stupid what keeps people apart.”

“I haven’t seen my mom since December, maybe,” I mumbled. “She just never remembers me when I’m there. Last time I went with Lit… she remembered Luke. But not me. I just get overwhelmed, seeing her like that.”

“I wish I could be like Asclepius,” Piper mused. “Take one look at people and know what’s hurting them. Make things better right away.”

“Probably why Zeus locked him up,” I sighed. “He can heal so easily. We just always suffer.”

“I guess pain can be good sometimes,” Piper continued. “Embraced. Without some agony in the last months, we might not have all become best friends. I certainly wouldn’t have discovered my courage and… have had the guts to sing show tunes to the snake people.”

“That’s true,” I agreed. “I got to learn about being the patient. How it can make me a better doctor, I suppose. How to love, and be vulnerable again…

At the top of the tunnel, the green membrane rippled.

We all shot up with our weapons and prepared for a swarm of monsters. 

But Kekrops emerged alone.

“The way is clear,” he said. “But hurry. The ceremony is almost complete.”

I looked at the others. “This is the part where we be careful. Try not to bleed.”

“Easier said than done,” Annabeth squeaked as he began to push through the curtain of mucus. 

Once we got out, I felt like I’d just rolled through a giant’s nostril. Fortunately, none of the gunk stuck to me, but still my skin tingled with revulsion.

Percy, Annabeth, Piper, and I found ourselves in a cool, damp pit that seemed to be the basement level of a temple. All around us, uneven ground stretched into darkness under a low ceiling of stone. Directly above our heads, a rectangular gap was open to the sky. I could see the edges of walls and the tops of columns, but no monsters… yet.

The camouflage membrane had closed behind us and blended into the ground. The area seemed to be solid rock. We definitely wouldn’t be leaving the way we’d come.

Annabeth ran her hand along some marks on the ground— a jagged crow’s-foot shape as long as a human body. The area was lumpy and white, like stone scar tissue. 

“This is the place,” she said. “Percy, these are the trident marks of Poseidon.”

Hesitantly, Percy touched the scars. “He must’ve been using his extra-extra-large trident.”

“This is where he struck the earth,” Annabeth said, “where he made a saltwater spring appear when he had the contest with my mom to sponsor Athens.”

“So this is where the rivalry started,” Percy said.

“Yeah.”

Percy pulled Annabeth close and kissed her... long enough for it to get really awkward for Piper and I. We shared a look, and I made a kissy face to her that made her let out a small giggle.

When Percy pulled away, Annabeth looked like a fish gasping for air. “The rivalry ends here,” Percy said. “I love you, Wise Girl.”

Annabeth made a little sigh, like something in her ribcage had melted. Percy glanced at Piper and I. “Sorry, I had to do that.”

I shrugged. “It was sort of cute.”

Piper grinned as well. “How could a daughter of Aphrodite not approve? You’re a great boyfriend.”

Annabeth made another grunt-whimper. “Uh... anyway. We’re beneath the Erechtheion. It’s a temple to both Athena and Poseidon. The Parthenon should be diagonally to the southeast of here. We’ll need to sneak around the perimeter and disable as many siege weapons as we can, make an approach path for the Argo II.”

“It’s broad daylight,” Piper said. “How will we go unnoticed?”

Annabeth scanned the sky. “That’s why I made a plan with Frank, Leo, and Lit— it’d involve Hazel and Jason too. Hopefully... ah. Look.”

A bee zipped overhead. Dozens more followed. They swarmed around a column, then hovered over the opening of the pit.

“Say hi to Frank, everybody,” Annabeth said.

“Oh, hey Frank!” I said as the cloud of bees zipped away.

“How does that even work?” Percy said. “Like... one bee is a finger? Two bees are his eyes?”

“Good question,” I said. 

“I don’t know,” Annabeth admitted. “But he’s our go-between. As soon as he gives Hazel the word, she will—“

“Gah!” Percy yelped.

Annabeth clamped her hand over his mouth.

Which looked strange, because suddenly each of us had turned into a hulking, six-armed Earthborn.

“Um, what the fuck,” I said as I examined my new Neanderthal body— belly hair, loincloth, stubby legs and oversized feet. If I concentrated, I could see my normal arms, but when I moved them, they rippled like mirages, separating into three different sets of muscular Earthborn arms.

“Hazel’s Mist,” Piper said, her voice deep and gravelly.

Percy grimaced, which looked even worse on his newly uglified face. “Wow, Annabeth... I’m really glad I kissed you before you changed.”

“Thanks a lot,” she said. “We should get going. I’ll move clockwise around the perimeter. Piper, you move counterclockwise. Percy, you and Lydia scout the middle, but not too close to each other.”

“Wait,” Percy said. “We’re walking right into the whole blood-spilling sacrifice trap we’ve been warned about, and you want to split up even more?”

“We’ll cover more ground that way,” Annabeth said. “We have to hurry. That chanting…”

I hadn’t noticed it until then, but now I heard it: an ominous drone in the distance, like a hundred forklifts idling. I looked at the ground and noticed bits of gravel trembling, skittering southeast, as if pulled towards the Parthenon.

“Right,” Piper said. “We’ll meet up at the giant’s throne.”

At first it was easy.

Monsters were everywhere— hundreds of ogres, Earthborn and Cyclopes milling through the ruins— but most of them were gathered at the Parthenon, watching the ceremony in progress. 

Percy and I moved quickly, near each other, which was a good cover if our sabotage was discovered early. I moved carefully behind a few Earthborn in the back and cut through three in one slice before anyone noticed. 

All three melted into slag heaps. I went to the onager set up behind them and slashed the spring cord to disable the weapon, then kept moving.

I knew that it might be more useful if I concentrated and broke every onager, but I was still scared to use my powers. What if they didn’t even work anymore? 

I continued to skirt through a patrol of Cyclopes on my end. I cut clean through one of the larger ones, then the smaller one next to it before moving to where another onager was— surrounded by an encampment of tattooed Laistrygonian ogres.

I bit my lip, and against my better judgement, concentrated on the onager.

The cords snapped without me needing to get too close, and the Laistrygonians suspected nothing.

I let out a small sigh of relief. Okay, maybe I could try a bit of that….

I peered around at a few other onagers, and waved my hand a bit on my side, concentrating before slashing it downward. When I felt a release of tension in my fingers, one by one, I knew all three had been disabled. 

From there, I just kept weaving through and cutting through whoever was nearest the back of a group, especially anyone who was isolated. I knew this was as easy as it’d get, because soon the groups became larger, and the crowd at the Parthenon grew bigger too. The chanting got louder. I couldn’t see what was happening inside the ruins— just the heads of twenty or thirty giants standing in a circle, mumbling and swaying. What a weird cult this was.

Suddenly, the chanting stopped. A BOOM echoed across the hillside. In the Parthenon, the giants roared in triumph. All around me, monsters surged towards the sound of celebration.

That couldn’t be good. I blended into a crowd of sour-smelling Earthborn. I bounded up the main steps of the temple, then climbed a section of metal scaffolding so I could see above the heads of the ogres and Cyclopes.

The scene in the ruins almost made me let out a panicked sound. 

Before Porphyrion’s throne, dozens of giants stood in a loose ring, hollering and shaking their weapons as two of their number paraded around the circle, showing off their prizes. The princess Periboia held Annabeth by the neck like a feral cat. The giant Enceladus had Percy wrapped in his massive fist.

“Shit!” I gasped as quietly as I could muster. I hadn’t separated too much from Percy, had I? I looked around to see if I could find Piper, but I didn’t remember what she looked like.

Annabeth and Percy both struggled helplessly. Their captors displayed them to the cheering horde of monsters, then turned to face King Porphyrion, who sat in his makeshift throne, his white eyes gleaming with malice.

“Right on time!” the giant king bellowed. “The blood of Olympus to raise the Earth Mother!”

I watched in horror as the giant king rose to his full height— almost as tall as the temple columns. His face looked just as I remembered— green as bile, with a twisted sneer, his seaweed-coloured hair braided with swords and axes taken from dead demigods.

He loomed over the captives, watching them wriggle. “They arrived just as you foresaw, Enceladus! Well done!”

The giant bowed his head, braided bones clattering in his dreadlocks. “It was simple, my king.”

The flame designs gleamed on his armour. His spear burned with purplish fire. He only needed one hand to hold his captive. Despite all of Percy Jackson’s power, despite everything he had survived, in the end he was helpless against the sheer strength of the giant— and the inevitability of the prophecy.

What to do, what to do, what to do. If I located Piper, maybe I could teleport to her, but if I was wrong, it’d be suspicious. 

“I knew these two would lead the assault,” Enceladus continued. “I understand how they think. Athena and Poseidon... they were just like these children! They both came here thinking to claim this city. Their arrogance has undone them!”

That was the clue. Lead the assault. Them two. So they didn’t know someone else was here.

I scanned the crowd quickly before finally locating a monster that looked a lot like I saw myself. I did my best to read its body language. It was shifting uncomfortably, and looking around wildly.

I had to take my chances. It could be Piper.

In an instant, I appeared beside her, and she immediately took my hand. “They don’t know we’re here,” she said immediately.

Annabeth tried to say something, but the giantess Periboia shook her by the neck. “Shut up! None of your silver-tongued trickery!”

The princess drew a hunting knife as long as Piper’s sword. “Let me do the honours, Father!”

“Wait, Daughter.” The king stepped back. “The sacrifice must be done properly. Thoon, destroyer of the Fates, come forward!”

The wizened grey giant shuffled into sight, holding an oversized meat cleaver. He fixed his milky eyes on Annabeth.

Percy shouted. At the other end of the Acropolis, a hundred yards away, a geyser of water shot into the sky.

King Porphyrion laughed. “You’ll have to do better than that, son of Poseidon. The earth is too powerful here. Even your father wouldn’t be able to summon more than a salty spring. But never fear. The only liquid we require from you is your blood!”

“The Argo II should be here by now!” Piper hissed.

Thoon knelt and touched the blade of his cleaver reverently against the earth.

“Mother Gaea…” His voice was impossibly deep, shaking the ruins, making the metal scaffold resonate under our feet. “In ancient times, blood mixed with your soil to create life. Now, let the blood of these demigods return the favour. We bring you to full wakefulness. We greet you as our eternal mistress!”

Piper suddenly wasn’t at my side anymore. It took me a few milliseconds to process the fact she’d leapt from the scaffolding and sailed over the heads of the Cyclopes and ogres, landing in the centre of the courtyard before pushing her way into the circle of giants. As Thoon rose to use his cleaver, Piper slashed upward with her sword. She took off Thoon’s hand at the wrist.

The old giant wailed. The cleaver and severed hand lay in the dust at Piper’s feet. And just like that, her disguise melted away. 

“WHAT IS THIS?” Porphyrion thundered. “How dare this weak, useless creature interrupt?” 

I guess it was my turn now.

I appeared beside Piper just as she doce forward to attack. I began to cut through whoever came my way as she threw Katoptris at Enceladus. 

I did my best to hold off whoever came to her, because I wasn’t sure she had a specific plan. I dodged and ducked and slashed my sword up, dust exploding all around me and impairing my vision, but not stopping me from attacking.

Meanwhile, Piper wove through the crowd, jabbing her sword into dragon-scale feet at every opportunity and yelling, “RUN! RUN AWAY!” to sow confusion.

“NO! STOP THEM!” Porphyrion shouted. “KILL THEM!”

I rolled onto the floor as a spear was sent my way. I growled and leapt up, climbing up a monster’s back and standing on his head to stab him before leaping over and cutting through whoever came next. 

I could see Annabeth was still kicking and writhing in Periboia’s grip. 

I moved forward when I saw Piper. The best we could do was try to free Percy and Annabeth. 

“I think not, demigod!” Periboia yelled. “This one bleeds!”

The giantess raised her knife.

Piper screamed in charmspeak: “MISS!”

At the same time, Annabeth kicked up with her legs to make herself a smaller target.

Periboia’s knife passed beneath Annabeth’s legs and stabbed the giantess’s own palm. “OWWW!”

Periboia dropped Annabeth— alive, but not unscathed. The dagger had sliced a nasty gash across the back of her thigh. As Annabeth rolled away, her blood soaked into the earth.

“Shit!” I dove forward and pulled Annabeth away, whirling around to throw one of my last knives at a monster that was about to rip our heads off. Piper lunged at the giantess. The surprised giantess glanced down as the sword of the Boread pierced her gut. Frost spread across her bronze breastplate. Piper yanked out her sword. The giantess toppled backwards— steaming white and frozen solid.

Periboia hit the ground with a thud.

“My daughter!” King Porphyrion levelled his spear and charged.

But Percy had other ideas.

Enceladus had dropped him just seconds ago... probably because the giant was busy staggering around with a knife embedded in his forehead, ichor streaming into his eyes.

Percy had no weapon— perhaps his sword had been confiscated or lost in the fighting— but he didn’t let that stop him. As the giant king ran towards Piper and I, Percy grabbed the tip of Porphyrion’s spear and forced it down into the ground. The giant’s own momentum lifted him off his feet in an unintentional pole-vault manoeuvre and he flipped over onto his back.

Meanwhile, I dragged Annabeth up and away, trying to get her to safety while swiping Slasher at anyone who came towards us. Piper was yelling something in charmspeak and waving her sword around, which thankfully meant Annabeth and I weren’t being pursued as much anymore. 

“Who wants to be the next Popsicle?” Piper yelled, channelling anger into her charmspeak. “Who wants to go back to Tartarus?”

That seemed to hit a nerve. The giants shuffled uneasily, glancing at the frozen body of Periboia.

Forty feet away, Percy bent over the giant king, trying to yank a sword from the braids of his hair. But Porphyrion wasn’t as stunned as he let on.

“Fools!” Porphyrion backhanded Percy like a pesky fly. The son of Poseidon flew into a column with a sickening crunch.

“NO!” Annabeth screamed as she looked back. 

Porphyrion rose. “These demigods cannot kill us! They do not have the help of the gods. Remember who you are!”

I tried not to be offended by the fact I had sliced quite a few bigger monsters. Maybe the giants were safe, but the others weren’t. 

But regardless, things weren’t going well. Annabeth was struggling to keep up as I finally got her somewhere safe. She could barely stand upright. Each time a drop of her blood hit the ground it bubbled, turning from red to gold.

Percy tried to stand as well, but he was obviously dazed. He wouldn’t be able to defend himself. 

“Stay here!” I told Annabeth as I ran back to Piper, who was keeping every giant’s attention on her. I dove forward for us to stand back to back, and I saw her shoot me a smirk. 

“Come on, then!” she challenged. “We’ll destroy you all if we have to!”

A metallic smell of storm filled the air. All the hairs on my arms stood up.

“The thing is,” said a voice from above, “you don’t have to.”

I almost cried out from relief. At the top of the nearest colonnade stood Jason and Lit, their swords gleaming gold in the sun. Frank stood at their side, his bow ready. Hazel sat astride Arion, who reared and whinnied in challenge.

With a deafening blast, a white-hot bolt arced from the sky, straight through Jason’s body as he leaped, wreathed in lightning, at the giant king.


	85. Stuff Goes Down... Hopefully For The Last Time???

See, everything went kinda well for the next three minutes. 

Jason fell on King Porphyrion with such force that the giant crumpled to his knees— blasted with lightning and stabbed in the neck with a golden gladius.

Frank unleashed a hail of arrows, driving back the giants nearest to Percy.

The Argo II rose above the ruins and all the ballistae and catapults fired simultaneously. Leo must have programmed the weapons with surgical precision. A wall of Greek fire roared upward all around the Parthenon. It didn’t touch the interior, but in a flash most of the smaller monsters around it were incinerated.

Leo’s voice boomed over the loudspeaker: “SURRENDER! YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY ONE SPANKING HOT WAR MACHINE!”

The giant Enceladus howled in outrage. “VALDEZ!”

“WHAT’S UP, ENCHILADAS?” Leo’s voice roared back. “NICE DAGGER IN YOUR FOREHEAD.”

“GAH!” The giant pulled Katoptris out of his head. “Monsters: destroy that ship!”

The remaining forces tried their best. A flock of gryphons rose to attack. Festus the figurehead blew flames and chargrilled them out of the sky. A few Earthborn launched a volley of rocks, but from the sides of the hull a dozen Archimedes spheres sprayed out, intercepting the boulders and blasting them to dust.

“PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!” Buford ordered.

Hazel spurred Arion off the colonnade and they leaped into battle. The forty-foot fall would have broken any other horse’s legs, but Arion hit the ground running. Hazel zipped from giant to giant, stinging them with the blade of her spatha.

With extremely bad timing, Kekrops and his snake people chose that moment to join the fight. In four or five places around the ruins, the ground turned to green goo and armed gemini burst forth, Kekrops himself in the lead.

“Kill the demigods!” he hissed. “Kill the tricksters!”

Before many of his warriors could follow, Hazel pointed her blade at the nearest tunnel. The ground rumbled. All the gooey membranes popped and the tunnels collapsed, billowing plumes of dust. Kekrops looked around at his army, now reduced to six guys.

“SLITHER AWAY!’ he ordered”

Frank’s arrows cut them down as they tried to retreat.

The giantess Periboia had thawed with alarming speed. She tried to grab Annabeth, but, despite her bad leg, Annabeth was holding her own. She stabbed at the giantess with her own hunting knife and led her in a deadly game of tag around the throne.

Percy was back on his feet, Riptide once again in his hands. He still looked dazed. His nose was bleeding. But he seemed to be standing his ground against the old giant Thoon, who had somehow reattached his hand and found his meat cleaver.

“Percy, clean your nose!” I yelled as Lit came down to join me, grass sprouting everywhere he took a step.

That’s when I noticed he was sort of glowing.

I hadn’t been paying attention, but he seemed to have been working his own magic. Around the monsters, plants were beginning to grow, ready to grab any monster that came. The sun was blazing, and I could now see that the empousai that’d been present earlier were gone.

I smirked as he came to stand next to me, and in an instant we spun to be back to back, beginning to tear down every giant that came close. 

For a moment, I felt completely elated. We were actually winning!

But too soon our element of surprise faded. The giants overcame their confusion.

Frank ran out of arrows. He changed into a rhinoceros and leaped into battle, but as fast as he could knock down the giants they got up again. Their wounds seemed to be healing faster.

Annabeth lost ground against Periboia. Hazel was knocked out of her saddle at sixty miles an hour. Jason summoned another lightning strike, but this time Porphyrion simply deflected it off the tip of his spear.

Lit and I were doing our best, but it was mostly me now, because Lit was trying to make the plants grab onto giants to prevent them from moving as attacks against them continued. 

The giants were bigger, stronger and more numerous. They couldn’t be killed without the help of the gods. And they didn’t seem to be tiring.

The eight of us were forced into a defensive ring.

Another volley of Earthborn rocks hit the Argo II. This time Leo couldn’t return fire fast enough. Rows of oars were sheared off. The ship shuddered and tilted in the sky.

Then Enceladus threw his fiery spear. It pierced the ship’s hull and exploded inside, sending spouts of fire through the oar openings. An ominous black cloud billowed from the deck. The Argo II began to sink.

“LEO!” Jason cried.

Porphyrion laughed. “You demigods have learned nothing. There are no gods to aid you. We need only one more thing from you to make our victory complete.”

The giant king smiled expectantly. He seemed to be looking at Percy Jackson.

Piper glanced over. Percy’s nose was still bleeding. He seemed unaware that a trickle of blood had made its way down his face to the end of his chin.

Hadn’t I fucking told him to clean his nose?

“Percy, look out!” I cried, my eyes wide. 

But it was too late. 

A single drop of blood fell from his chin. It hit the ground between his feet and sizzled like water on a frying pan.

The blood of Olympus watered the ancient stones.

The Acropolis groaned and shifted as the Earth Mother woke.

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME!” I screamed, looking up as the clouds parted over the Acropolis. Instead of blue skies, I saw black space spangled with stars, the palaces of Mount Olympus gleaming silver and gold in the background. And an army of gods charged down from on high.

It was too much to process, but I managed to grasp a bit of what I truly saw.

There was supersized Zeus riding into battle in a golden chariot, a lightning bolt the size of a telephone pole crackling in one hand. Pulling his chariot were four horses made of wind, each constantly shifting from equine to human form, trying to break free. For a split second, one took on the icy visage of Boreas. Another wore Notus’s swirling crown of fire and steam. A third flashed the smug lazy smile of Zephyrus. Zeus had bound and harnessed the four wind gods themselves.

On the underbelly of the Argo II, the glass bay doors split open. The goddess Nike tumbled out, free from her golden net. She spread her glittering wings and soared to Zeus’s side, taking her rightful place as his charioteer.

“MY MIND IS RESTORED!” she roared. “VICTORY TO THE GODS!”

At Zeus’s left flank rode Hera, her chariot pulled by enormous peacocks, their rainbow-coloured plumage so bright it made me cringe a bit. 

Ares bellowed with glee as he thundered down on the back of a fire-breathing horse. His spear glistened red.

In the last second, before the gods reached the Parthenon, they seemed to displace themselves, like they’d jumped through hyperspace. The chariots disappeared. 

Suddenly we were surrounded by the Olympians, now human-sized, tiny next to the giants, but glowing with power.

I looked beside me, and saw none other than Hermes and Demeter in their full armor.

Jason shouted and charged Porphyrion.

The fighting ranged all over the Parthenon and spilled across the Acropolis. 

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Annabeth fighting Enceladus. At her side stood a woman with long dark hair and golden armour over her white robes. The goddess thrust her spear at the giant, then brandished her shield with the fearsome bronzed visage of Medusa. Together, Athena and Annabeth drove Enceladus back into the nearest wall of metal scaffolding, which collapsed on top of him.

On the opposite side of the temple, Frank Zhang and the god Ares smashed through an entire phalanx of giants— Ares with his spear and shield, Frank (as an African elephant) with his trunk and feet. The war god laughed and stabbed and disembowelled like a kid destroying piñatas.

Hazel raced through the battle on Arion’s back, disappearing in the Mist whenever a giant came close, then appearing behind him and stabbing him in the back. The goddess Hecate danced in her wake, setting fire to their enemies with two blazing torches. I didn’t see Hades, but whenever a giant stumbled and fell the ground broke open and the giant was snapped up and swallowed.

Percy battled the giant twins, Otis and Ephialtes, while at his side fought a bearded man with a trident and a loud Hawaiian shirt. The twin giants stumbled. Poseidon’s trident morphed into a fire hose, and the god sprayed the giants out of the Parthenon with a high-powered blast in the shape of wild horses.

Piper was maybe the most impressive. She fenced with the giantess Periboia, sword against sword. Despite the fact that her opponent was five times larger, Piper seemed to be holding her own. The goddess Aphrodite floated around them on a small white cloud, strewing rose petals in the giantess’s eyes and calling encouragement to Piper. “Lovely, my dear. Yes, good. Hit her again!” Whenever Periboia tried to strike, doves rose up from nowhere and fluttered in the giantess’s face.

Above us, Leo was racing across the deck of the Argo II, shooting ballistae, dropping hammers on the giants’ heads and blowtorching their loincloths. Behind him at the helm, a burly bearded guy in a mechanic’s uniform was tinkering with the controls, furiously trying to keep the ship aloft.

The strangest sight was the old giant Thoon, who was getting bludgeoned to death by three old ladies with brass clubs— the Fates, armed for war. I decided there was nothing in the world scarier than a gang of bat-wielding grannies.

Lit was somewhere behind me with Demeter, and I couldn’t see them, exactly, but I could feel them all around. Plants were growing like crazy, coiling around the feet of anyone who dared approach. The earth itself opened and swallowed some monsters, mud gathered and encased a group of Earthborn who hadn’t yet been defeated.

My father and I were dealing with Hippolytus. The giant roared as I dove all around him, cutting and slashing as Hermes thrust his caduceus into his chest and made the giant fall again and again, weakening him little by little. I could tell my father seemed to want me to give the final blow when it came to that. I could hear George and Martha hissing foul things and changing form rapidly to scratch all over the giant’s face.

Finally came Jason, Zeus, and Porphyrion. The giant used his spear in a whirlwind of swipes, jabs and slashes. Zeus’s lightning bolt appeared as a bronze rod a metre long, pointed on both ends, with blades of energy extending from both sides to form a javelin of white electricity. He slashed across the giant’s path and Porphyrion collapsed into his makeshift throne, which crumbled under the giant’s weight.

“No throne for you,” Zeus growled. “Not here. Not ever.”

“You cannot stop us!” the giant yelled. “It is done! The Earth Mother is awake!”

In answer, Zeus blasted the throne to rubble. The giant king flew backwards out of the temple and Jason ran after him, his father at his heels.

They backed Porphyrion to the edge of the cliffs, the whole of modern Athens spread out below.

Soon, they were the only ones anyone was focused on. Demeter and Lit had made sure the bodies of the slain giants sank back down, and it seemed Hades aided them in pulling them straight back to Tartarus. My father let me give Hippolytus one final stab before he burst to dust, and we all stopped to watch as Porphyrion growled at Zeus and Jason. 

Lightning had melted all the weapons in the giant’s hair. Molten Celestial bronze dripped through his dreadlocks like caramel. His skin steamed and blistered. Porphyrion snarled and raised his spear. “Your cause is lost, Zeus. Even if you defeat me, the Earth Mother shall simply raise me again!”

“Then perhaps,” Zeus said, “you should not die in the embrace of Gaea. Jason, my son…”

Porphyrion lashed out wildly with his spear, but Jason cut it in half with his gladius. He charged in, jabbing his sword through the giant’s breastplate, then summoned the winds and blasted Porphyrion off the edge of the cliff.

As the giant fell, screaming, Zeus pointed his lightning bolt. An arc of pure white heat vaporized Porphyrion in midair. His ashes drifted down in a gentle cloud, dusting the tops of the olive trees on the slopes of the Acropolis.

“That’s that,” Hermes said, coming to stand beside me. He didn’t look similar to how I’d ever seen him. Not the teenage boy who’d found me in an alley in Seattle after the volcanic eruption. Not the tired man from Olympus or the nursing home. He looked youthful, and replenished, and for the first time, I realized Luke had looked more like Hermes himself than anyone had ever thought.

Nothing was left of the giants except heaps of ash, a few spears and some burning dreadlocks. The Argo II was still aloft, barely, moored to the top of the Parthenon. Half the ship’s oars were broken off or tangled. Smoke streamed from several large splits in the hull. The sails were peppered with burning holes.

Leo looked almost as bad. He stood in the midst of the temple with the other crew members, his face covered in soot, his clothes smouldering.

The gods fanned out in a semicircle as Zeus approached. None of them seemed particularly joyful about their victory.

Apollo and Artemis stood together in the shadow of a column, as if trying to hide. Hera and Poseidon were having an intense discussion with Demeter. Nike tried to put a golden laurel wreath on Hecate’s head, but the goddess of magic swatted it away. Hermes moved away and sneaked close to Athena, attempting to put his arm around her. Athena turned her aegis shield his way and Hermes scuffled off, shooting my a playful glance as if saying ‘I tried.’

The only Olympian who seemed in a good mood was Ares. He laughed and pantomimed gutting an enemy while Frank listened, his expression polite but queasy.

“Brethren,” Zeus said, “we are healed, thanks to the work of these demigods. The Athena Parthenos, which once stood in this temple, now stands at Camp Half-Blood. It has united our offspring, and thus our own essences.”

“Lord Zeus,” Piper spoke up, “is Reyna okay? Nico and Coach Hedge?”

Zeus knitted his cloud-coloured eyebrows. “They succeeded in their mission. As of this moment they are alive. Whether or not they are okay—“

“There is still work to be done,” Queen Hera interrupted. She spread her arms like she wanted a group hug. “But my heroes... you have triumphed over the giants as I knew you would. My plan succeeded beautifully.”

Zeus turned on his wife. Thunder shook the Acropolis. “Hera, do not dare take credit! You have caused at least as many problems as you’ve fixed!”

The queen of heaven blanched. “Husband, surely you see now— this was the only way.”

“There is never only one way!” Zeus bellowed. “That is why there are three Fates, not one. Is this not so?”

By the ruins of the giant king’s throne, the three old ladies silently bowed their heads in recognition. I noticed that the other gods stayed well away from the Fates and their gleaming brass clubs.

“Please, husband.” Hera tried for a smile, but she was so clearly frightened that I almost felt sorry for her. “I only did what I—“

“Silence!” Zeus snapped. “You disobeyed my orders. Nevertheless... I recognize that you acted with honest intentions. The valour of these seven heroes has proven that you were not entirely without wisdom.”

Hera looked like she wanted to argue, but she kept her mouth shut.

“Apollo, however…” Zeus glared into the shadows where the twins were standing. “My son, come here.”

Apollo inched forward like he was walking the plank. He still looked so much like a teenage demigod— no more than seventeen, wearing jeans and a Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, with a bow over his shoulder and a sword at his belt. With his tousled blond hair and blue eyes, he might’ve been Jason’s brother on the mortal side as well as the godly side..

The Three Fates gathered around the god, circling him, their withered hands raised.

“Twice you have defied me,” Zeus said.

Apollo moistened his lips. “My— my lord—“

“You neglected your duties. You succumbed to flattery and vanity. You encouraged your descendant Octavian to follow his dangerous path, and you prematurely revealed a prophecy that may yet destroy us all.”

“But—“

“Enough!” Zeus boomed. “We will speak of your punishment later. For now, you will wait on Olympus.”

Zeus flicked his hand, and Apollo turned into a cloud of glitter. The Fates swirled around him, dissolving into air, and the glittery whirlwind shot into the sky.

I dropped to one knee before Zeus. “My Lord, I implore you to be merciful. Apollo has made a mistake, as many have before, but he has been a key to our success.”

“It is not your concern, daughter of Hermes,” Zeus said. “We have other problems to address.”

“But—“

Zeus waved for me to be quiet, and an uncomfortable silence settled over the Parthenon.

But thankfully, Jason stood up to Zeus.

“Father,” Jason said, “I made a vow to honour all the gods. I promised Kymopoleia that once this war is over none of the gods would be without shrines at the camps.”

Zeus scowled. “That’s fine. But... Kym who?”

Poseidon coughed into his fist. “She’s one of mine.”

“My point,” Jason said, “is that blaming each other isn’t going solve anything. That’s how the Romans and Greeks got divided in the first place.”

The air became dangerously ionized. My scalp tingled, and I feared for Jason’s life. 

Jason kept talking. “Apollo wasn’t the problem. To punish him for Gaia waking is— unwise.”

Zeus’s voice was almost a whisper. “Before the assembled gods, you would call me unwise.”

“He does not mean it as an insult,” I said immediately. “He is a praetor, it is in his nature to want the best for all, and he simply intends to get his point across.”

Artemis stepped out of the shadows. “Father, this hero has fought long and hard for our cause. His nerves are frayed. We should take that into account.”

Jason started to protest, but Artemis stopped him with a glance. “Surely, Father,” the goddess continued, “we should attend to our more pressing problems, as you pointed out.”

“Gaea,” Annabeth chimed in, clearly anxious to change the topic. “She’s awake, isn’t she?”

Zeus turned towards her. “That is correct,” he said. “The blood of Olympus was spilled. She is fully conscious.”

“Oh, come on!” Percy complained. “I get a little nosebleed and I wake up the entire earth? That’s not fair!”

“I told you to clean your nose,” I murmured under my breath as Lit came to wrap his arm around me. 

Athena shouldered her aegis. “Complaining of unfairness is like assigning blame, Percy Jackson. It does no one any good.”

She gave Jason and I an approving glance. “Now you must move quickly. Gaea rises to destroy your camp.”

Poseidon leaned on his trident. “For once, Athena is right.”

“For once?” Athena protested.

“Why would Gaia be back at camp?” Leo asked. “Percy’s nosebleed was here.”

“Dude,” Percy said, “first off, you heard Athena— don’t blame my nose. Second, Gaea’s the earth. She can pop up anywhere she wants. Besides, she told us she was going to do this. She said the first thing on her to-do list was destroying our camp. Question is: how do we stop her?”

Frank looked at Zeus. “Um, sir, Your Majesty, can’t you gods just pop over there with us? You’ve got the chariots and the magic powers and whatnot.”

“Yes!” Hazel said. “We defeated the giants together in two seconds. Let’s all go—“

“No,” Zeus said flatly.

“No?” Jason asked. “But, Father—“

Zeus’s eyes sparked with power. 

“That’s the problem with prophecies,” he growled. “When Apollo allowed the Prophecy of Eight to be spoken, and when Hera took it upon herself to interpret the words, the Fates wove the future in such a way that it had only so many possible outcomes, so many solutions. You seven, the demigods, are destined to defeat Gaea. We, the gods, cannot.”

“I don’t get it,” Piper said. “What’s the point of being gods if you have to rely on puny mortals to do your bidding?”

All the gods exchanged dark looks. Aphrodite, however, laughed gently and kissed her daughter. “My dear Piper, don’t you think we’ve been asking ourselves that question for thousands of years? But it is what binds us together, keeps us eternal. We need you mortals as much as you need us. Annoying as that may be, it’s the truth.”

Frank shuffled uncomfortably, like he missed being an elephant. “So how can we possibly get to Camp Half-Blood in time to save it? It took us months to reach Greece.”

“The winds,” Jason said. “Father, can’t you unleash the winds to send our ship back?”

Zeus glowered. “I could slap you back to Long Island.”

“Um, was that a joke, or a threat, or—“

“No,” Zeus said, “I mean it quite literally. I could slap your ship back to Camp Half-Blood, but the force involved…”

“I will take care of it, father,” Hermes said, bowing low. For a minute, it got me confused because I remembered that he was technically Jason and Apollo’s half brother.

Over by the ruined giant throne, the grungy god in the mechanic’s uniform shook his head. Another one to add to the list. Hephaestus was also Hermes’s half brother. “My boy Leo built a good ship, but it won’t sustain that kind of stress. It would break apart as soon as it arrived, maybe sooner.”

Leo straightened his tool belt. “The Argo II can make it. It only has to stay in one piece long enough to get us back home. Once there, we can abandon ship.”

“Dangerous,” warned Hephaestus. “Perhaps fatal.”

The goddess Nike twirled a laurel wreath on her finger. “Victory is always dangerous. And it often requires sacrifice. Leo Valdez and I have discussed this.” She stared pointedly at Leo.

“Leo,” Annabeth said, “what is Nike talking about?”

Leo waved off the question. “The usual. Victory. Sacrifice. Blah, blah, blah. Doesn’t matter. We can do this, guys. We have to do this.”

“Allow me to help,” Hermes said as he placed his hand on my shoulder. “It is the least I can do. I am especially generous to all travelers. I shall give you a boost to allow the ship to make it in one piece, as quickly as possible.

I looked between everyone, and nodded. “Let’s do this guys. All aboard for one last trip.”


	86. Who’s Gaea? Idk ;)

Thankfully, my dad’s boost meant we got back to Camp within minutes.

However, the ground was as chaotic as Athens had been once we arrived.

As we landed, I saw a vast army of monsters spread across the hills— cynocephali, two-headed men, wild centaurs, ogres and others I couldn’t even name— surrounding two tiny islands of demigods. 

At the crest of Half-Blood Hill, gathered at the feet of the Athena Parthenos, was the main force of Camp Half-Blood along with some of the Roman Cohorts, rallied around the golden eagle of the legion. The other Roman cohorts were in a several hundred yards away and seemed to be taking the brunt of the attack.

Giant eagles circled Jason, screeching urgently, as if looking for orders.

“Hazel!” Jason yelled. “Those three cohorts are in trouble! If they don’t merge with the rest of the demigods—“

“On it!” Hazel said. “Go, Frank!”

Frank turned into a gigantic dragon within seconds and veered to the left, taking Annabeth and Percy up in his claws. 

Lit and I had landed thanks to Jason’s wind, and bolted toward Nico di Angelo, who was at the front lines with the Greeks, slashing his way through a crowd of two-headed men. A few feet away, Reyna sat astride a new pegasus, her sword drawn. She shouted orders at the legion, and the Romans obeyed without question, as if she’d never been away.

“Nico!” I cried. 

“Lydia!” For a minute, he actually looked happy to see me.

“Where’s Octavian?” Lit cried.

“No idea!”

Good. I didn’t see Gaea yet either, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t about to explode out at any minute.

We moved closer to where Jason and Piper landed on the hill, their swords drawn, and a cheer went up from the Greeks and the Romans.

“About time!” Reyna called, waving us over. “Glad you could join us!”

Piper grinned. “We had some giants to kill!”

“Excellent!” Reyna returned the smile. “Help yourself to some barbarians.”

“Why, thank you!”

Lit and I didn’t hesitate to jump into battle with Piper and Reyna, still able to distinctly listen to Nico and Jason’s conversation.

I heard them mention Leo, and it made me look up wildly as I slashed at the nearest creature.

I really hoped he would make it.

All our anger put together seemed to give us renewed strength. The Greeks and Romans slowly pushed back the enemies. Wild centaurs toppled. Wolf-headed men howled as they were cut to ashes.

More monsters kept appearing— karpoi grain spirits swirling out of the grass, gryphons diving from the sky, lumpy clay humanoids that made Jason think of evil Play-Doh men.

“They’re ghosts with earthen shells!” Nico warned. “Don’t let them hit you!”

Obviously Gaea had kept some surprises in reserve.

At one point, Will Solace ran up to Nico and said something in his ear. Will waved at me, then pulled Nico away quickly.

A moment later, all my siblings came in between Jason and I.

“Aw, is that my little sister?” Travis said playfully. 

“Travis!” I said happily as Connor shielded Zoe so she could come greet Lit.

“So, I was a little insane when you told me about Katie,” I said to Travis.

“Oh, yeah! Look, Katie and I just worked better as friends. She’s exploring her sexuality too, and I didn’t want to be disrespectful. Zoe is great— we’re not official, obviously, but I can see why Lit makes you so happy. They’re badass!”

I grinned and managed to pat Connor on the back as he dodged an ogre club and stabbed a grain spirit, which exploded in a cloud of wheat. “Yeah, it confused me too, Lydia, but if Travis is happy, so am I!”

On my other side, Reyna yelled, “Eiaculare flammas!” and a wave of flaming arrows arced over the legion’s shield wall, destroying a platoon of ogres. The Roman ranks moved forward, impaling centaurs and trampling wounded ogres under their bronze-tipped boots.

Somewhere downhill, I heard Frank Zhang yell in Latin: “Repellere equites!”

A massive herd of centaurs parted in a panic as the legion’s other three cohorts ploughed through in perfect formation, their spears bright with monster blood. Frank marched before them. On the left flank, riding Arion, Hazel beamed with pride.

“Dang, we need commands like that!” Lit huffed as Zoe pushed him aside to blast the grain spirits back with a simple wave of her hands. 

“Ave, Praetor Zhang!” Reyna called.

“Ave, Praetor Ramírez-Arellano!” Frank said. “Let’s do this. Legion, CLOSE RANKS!”

A cheer went up among the Romans as the five cohorts melded into one massive killing machine. Frank pointed his sword forward and, from the golden eagle standard, tendrils of lightning swept across the enemy, turning several hundred monsters to toast.

“Legion, cuneum formate!” Reyna yelled. “Advance!”

Another cheer on Jason’s right as Percy and Annabeth reunited with the forces of Camp Half-Blood.

“Greeks!” Percy yelled. “Let’s, um, fight stuff!”

They yelled like banshees and charged.

I grinned at Lit. “I hope they never change. I love them as they are!”

“Yeah, I guess!” He said. “No organization whatsoever, but we make up for it with enthusiasm.”

I took a split second to look around, hoping I’d find Leo or Gaea.

Unfortunately, I found the second one first.

Under my feet, the earth rippled as if Half-Blood Hill had become a giant water mattress.

Demigods fell. Ogres slipped. Centaurs charged face-first into the grass.

 _AWAKE_ , a voice boomed all around them.

A hundred yards away, at the crest of the next hill, the grass and soil swirled upward like the point of a massive drill. The column of earth thickened into the twenty-foot-tall figure of a woman— her dress woven from blades of grass, her skin as white as quartz, her hair brown and tangled like tree roots.

“Little fools.” Gaea the Earth Mother opened her pure green eyes. “The paltry magic of your statue cannot contain me.”

As she said it, I realized why Gaea hadn’t appeared until now. The Athena Parthenos had been protecting the demigods, holding back the wrath of the earth, but even Athena’s might could only last so long against a primordial goddess.

Fear as palpable as a cold front washed over our army.

“Stand fast!” Piper shouted, her charmspeak clear and loud. “Greeks and Romans, we can fight her together!”

“YEAH!” I chorused. “I didn’t go insane for us to just lose to this dirty bitch!”

Gaea simply laughed. Maybe she didn’t know what ‘bitch’ actually meant. She spread her arms and the earth bent towards her— trees tilting, bedrock groaning, soil rippling in waves. Jason rose on the wind, but all around him monsters and demigods alike started to sink into the ground. One of Octavian’s onagers capsized and disappeared into the side of the hill.

“The whole earth is my body,” Gaea boomed. “How would you fight the goddess of—“

FOOOOMP!

In a flash of bronze, Gaea was swept off the hillside, snarled in the claws of a fifty-ton metal dragon.

“Hell yeah!” I said as Annabeth and Percy came to my side. “That radiates similar energy to when Rachel threw the hairbrush at Kronos!”

Festus, now reborn, rose into the sky on gleaming wings, spewing fire from his maw triumphantly. As he ascended, the rider on his back got smaller and more difficult to discern, but Leo’s grin was unmistakable.

“Leo!” I cried. 

“Hey Lydia!” He shouted. “Pipes! Jason! You coming? The fight is up here!”

As soon as Leo and Festus brought Gaea up, the ground solidified. 

Demigods stopped sinking, though many were still buried up to their waists. Sadly, the monsters seemed to be digging themselves out more quickly. They charged the Greek and Roman ranks, taking advantage of the demigods’ disorganization.

Lit handed me his sword as he and Zoe rounded up their siblings to move the earth and free the demigods.

As for me? It was fucking cool to cut a bitch with two swords at once. 

Jason put his arms around Piper’s waist. He was about to take off when Percy yelled, “Wait! Frank can fly the rest of us up there! We can all—“

“No, man,” Jason said. “They need you here. There’s still an army to defeat. Besides, the prophecy—“

“He’s right.” Frank gripped Percy’s arm. “You have to let them do this, Percy. It’s like Annabeth’s quest in Rome. Or Hazel at the Doors of Death. This part can only be them.”

Percy obviously didn’t like it, but at that moment a flood of monsters swept over the Greek forces. Annabeth called to him, “Hey! Problem over here!” Percy ran to join her.

Frank and Hazel turned to Jason. They raised their arms in the Roman salute, then ran off to regroup the legion. Jason and Piper spiralled upward on the wind.

I did my best to focus on what I was doing, but I was still growing increasingly worried, so I risked taking a peek every now and then between slicing and dicing. 

Directly above us, Festus now grappled with the earth goddess. Gaea kept disintegrating, trying to trickle back to the ground, but the winds kept her aloft. Festus sprayed her with flames, which seemed to force her into solid form. Meanwhile, from Festus’s back, Leo blasted the goddess with flames of his own and hurled insults. “Potty Sludge! Dirt Face! THIS IS FOR MY MOTHER, ESPERANZA VALDEZ!”

His whole body was wreathed in fire. Rain hung in the stormy air, but it only sizzled and steamed around him.

Gaea turned into loose white sand, but Jason summoned a squadron of venti who churned around her, constraining her in a cocoon of wind.

“Back!” Lit yelled, taking his sword back in a near swipe and kicking back a monster before daring to pause and kiss my cheek.

“You got everyone out of the dirt?”

“Yes, thank Zoe for that— her powers are way stronger than mine.”

“Hard to believe after what I saw you and your mom do today!”

He cracked a smile before we both began to fight once more.

“YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME!” Gaea screeched above us as crumbled to sand, only to get blasted by more flames. Her body melted into a lump of glass, shattered, then re-formed again as human. “I AM ETERNAL!”

“Eternally annoying!” Leo yelled, and he urged Festus higher. Jason and Piper rose with them.

“FOOLISH CHILDREN!” Her face contorted with miniature earthquakes and mudslides. I could see Piper seemed to be telling her something, but I couldn’t hear it. “SILENCE!” 

I focused to the best of my abilities on what was happening back where I was. The monster army was severely depleted. We had the upper hand. It would only be a matter of time before every last one of them disappeared, and we’d get to relax.

But suddenly, something felt wrong. I looked up, and my eyes widened as I saw Piper and Jason flying back down. Festus had become an indistinct ball of fire in the sky— a second sun— growing smaller and hotter. I couldn’t see Leo, but he must have been on top of him. A blazing comet streaked upward from the ground with a high pitched, almost human scream. 

“LEO!” I screamed. “LEO! LEO!”

Then the comet intercepted the ball of fire above them.

The explosion turned the entire sky gold.

________

The next day, there weren’t many answers. 

All I knew so far was that Piper and Jason had landed unconscious. Octavian was dead. 

But Leo hadn’t reappeared. 

The entire Hephaestus cabin scoured the valley, finding bits and pieces of the Argo II’s broken hull, but no sign of Festus the dragon or his master.

All the monsters had been destroyed or scattered. Greek and Roman casualties were heavy, but not nearly as bad as they might have been.

Overnight, the satyrs and nymphs disappeared into the woods for a convocation of the Cloven Elders. In the morning, Grover Underwood reappeared to announce that they could not sense the Earth Mother’s presence. Nature was more or less back to normal. Apparently, Jason, Piper and Leo’s plan had worked. Gaea had been separated from her source of power, charmed to sleep and then atomized in the combined explosion of Leo’s fire and Octavian’s man-made comet.

An immortal could never die, but now Gaea would be like her husband, Ouranos. The earth would continue to function as normal, just as the sky did, but Gaea was now so dispersed and powerless that she could never again form a consciousness.

The victory celebration at camp was muted, due to grief— not just for Leo but also for the many others who had died in battle. Shrouded demigods, both Greek and Roman, were burned at the campfire, and Chiron asked Nico to oversee the burial rites.

Nico agreed immediately. He was grateful for the opportunity to honour the dead. Even the hundreds of spectators didn’t bother him.

The hardest part was afterwards, when Nico and the remaining seven of us from the Argo II met on the porch of the Big House.

Jason hung his head, even his glasses lost in shadow. “We should have been there at the end. We could’ve helped Leo.”

“It’s not right,” Piper agreed, wiping away her tears. “All that work getting the physician’s cure, for nothing.”

Hazel broke down crying. “Piper, where’s the cure? Bring it out.”

Bewildered, Piper reached into her belt pouch. She produced the chamois-cloth package, but when she unfolded the cloth it was empty.

All eyes turned to Hazel.

“How?” Annabeth asked.

Frank put his arm around Hazel. “In Delos, Leo pulled the two of us and Lit and Lydia aside. He pleaded with us to help him.”

Through her tears, Hazel explained how she had switched the physician’s cure for an illusion— a trick of the Mist— so that Leo could keep the real vial. Frank told them about Leo’s plan to destroy a weakened Gaea with one massive fiery explosion. I told them how after talking with Nike and Apollo, Leo had been certain that such an explosion would kill any mortal within a quarter of a mile, so he knew he would have to get far away from everyone.

“He wanted to do it alone,” Lit explained sadly. “That’s what he told us. He thought there would be a slim chance that he, a son of Hephaestus, could survive the fire, but if anyone was with him… He said that Hazel and Frank, being Roman, would understand about sacrifice. That Lydia and I would understand, just based on our personal lives. But he knew the rest of you would never allow it.”

At first the others looked angry, like they wanted to scream and throw things. But, as Frank and Hazel talked, and Lit and I just nodded to their explanation, the group’s rage seemed to dissipate. 

Finally Piper let out a sound somewhere between a sob and a laugh. “If he were here right now, I would kill him. How was he planning to take the cure? He was alone!”

“Maybe he found a way,” Percy said. “This is Leo we’re talking about. He might come back any minute. Then we can take turns strangling him.”

The next day, the second since the battle, Romans and Greeks worked side by side to clean up the warzone and tend the wounded. Blackjack the pegasus was recovering nicely from his arrow wound. Guido had decided to adopt Reyna as his human. Reluctantly, Lou Ellen from Hecate had agreed to turn her new pet piglets back into Romans.

I had been helping Will and the other Apollo kids in the infirmary. Will had confided in me that there was something about Nico that was intriguing. I smiled knowingly, but didn’t tell him anything, exactly.

The Romans bivouacked next to the strawberry fields, where they insisted on building their standard field camp. The Greeks pitched in to help them raise the earthen walls and dig the trenches. 

I had never seen anything stranger or cooler. Dakota shared Kool-Aid with the kids from the Dionysus cabin. My siblings and the Roman children of Mercury laughed and told stories and brazenly stole things from just about everyone. It seemed I was the oldest on both ends, and the only one who didn’t like resorting to stealing.

Reyna, Annabeth and Piper were inseparable, roaming the camp as a trio to check on the progress of the repairs. They asked me to join a thousand times, but I knew I was better at working with repairing humans, not objects.

Chiron, escorted by Frank and Hazel, inspected the Roman troops and praised them for their bravery.

By evening, the general mood had improved somewhat. The dining hall pavilion had never been so crowded. The Romans were welcomed like old friends. Coach Hedge roamed among the demigods, beaming and holding his baby boy and saying, “Hey, you want to meet Chuck? This is my boy, Chuck!”

The Aphrodite and Athena girls alike cooed over the feisty little satyr baby, who waved his pudgy fists, kicked his tiny hooves and bleated, “Baaaa! Baaaa!”

Clarisse, who had been named the baby’s godmother, trailed behind the coach like a bodyguard and occasionally muttered, “All right, all right. Give the kid some space.”

It reminded me of how kind she had been to Selena Beuregard. 

At announcement time, Chiron stepped forward and raised his goblet.

“Out of every tragedy,” he said, “comes new strength. Today, we thank the gods for this victory. To the gods!”

We all seemed to feel the same regarding that, however. We saved the gods again, and now we’re supposed to thank them?

Then Chiron said, “And to new friends!”

“TO NEW FRIENDS!”

Hundreds of demigod voices echoed across the hills.

At the campfire, everyone kept looking at the stars, as if they expected Leo to come back in some dramatic, last-minute surprise. Maybe he’d swoop in, jump off Festus’s back and launch into corny jokes. It didn’t happen.

But somehow, I knew that at one point or another, he’d be back for sure. 

After a few songs, Reyna and Frank were called to the front. They got a thunderous round of applause from both the Greeks and Romans. Up on Half-Blood Hill, the Athena Parthenos glowed more brightly in moonlight, as if to signal: These kids are all right.

“Tomorrow,” Reyna said, “we Romans must return home. We appreciate your hospitality, especially since we almost killed you—“ 

“You almost got killed,” Annabeth corrected.

“Whatever, Chase.”

“Oooooohhhhh!” the crowd said as one. Then everybody started laughing and pushing each other around. Even Nico smiled, which I noticed made Will look at him. 

“Anyway,” Frank took over, “Reyna and I agree this marks a new era of friendship between the camps.”

Reyna clapped him on the back. “That’s right. For hundreds of years, the gods tried to separate us to keep us from fighting. But there’s a better kind of peace— cooperation.”

Piper stood up from the audience. “Are you sure your mom is a war goddess?”

“Yes, McLean,” Reyna said. “I still intend to fight a lot of battles. But from now on we fight together!”

That got a big cheer.

Zhang raised his hand for quiet. “You’ll all be welcome at Camp Jupiter. We’ve come to an agreement with Chiron: a free exchange between the camps— weekend visits, training programmes and, of course, emergency aid in times of need—“ 

“And parties?” asked Dakota. 

“Hear, hear!” said Connor and Travis.

Reyna spread her arms. “That goes without saying. We Romans invented parties. So thank you. All of you. We could’ve chosen hatred and war. Instead we found acceptance and friendship.”

Then she did something unexpected. She walked up to Nico, who was standing to one side in the shadows, as usual. She grabbed his hand and pulled him gently into the firelight.

“We had one home,” she said. “Now we have two.”

She gave Nico a big hug and the crowd roared with approval. As I looked over them, all I could see was Bianca and Nico di Angelo once more.


	87. We Bring It To A Close

**Lydia Castellan’s POV**

_August 2, 2010 / June 7, 2011_

That night, Lit and I went back to the beach, barefoot and in nothing but our pajamas, to feel the ocean breeze again.

“Can you believe it?” He asked softly as we finally sat down in the sand. 

“No,” I breathed as I leaned on him. “We really went through all that shit.”

“You’re going to be able to write a really good autobiography once you become a doctor.”

I giggled. “What I’m looking most forward to is getting to talk to an old colleague of mine.”

“Really? Who?”

“Some Dr. Jeter from Seattle. When I landed there after Mount Saint Helens erupted, we didn’t get along. But I’d like to see her again.”

“I’m sure she’ll be in shock, but she’ll admire you a lot.”

We sat, looking over the horizon for hours on end. The waves rolled calmly over the sand, and the breeze hit just right, so it felt more like a fresh sheet being lain over us as we relaxed, just enjoying each others presence.

I began to remember how different everything had been for me years ago. How I hadn’t expected my life to turn out like this. 

_I slashed my sword and barely managed to block Luke as he attacked with his blade._

_I was backing Luke closer and closer to the cliff and he knew it. He kept trying to move our fight away— I could see it behind his pained eyes._

_Even with who he was becoming, he didn't want to risk me falling off._

_I believed it in that instant, that he really didn't want to hurt me._

_But the instant a slash from my sword collided with his chest and caused blood to leak out, the expression on his sweaty face became more serious and I saw that little regard for my safety slowly slipping away._

_Luke lunged at me and I slammed back on him with my blade, skillfully making him lose his balance. He nearly dropped his sword._

_But he didn't, and instead kicked my shins, right where he could see blood leaking from the cut I'd received when Dr. Thorn found us on the dock talking to smelly Old Man By the Sea Nereus— Ner— something like that._

_It was a strategic kick, I'll give him that. The kick caused me to cry out in pain and lose my balance. My sword skidded out of my hands and nearer to where Thalia crouched in pain, her shield on the floor._

_Luke stood over me, his sword inches from my neck._

_"Well?" He snarled to her. "Made a decision yet?"_

_"No Luke— I won't," she said fiercely, although I could tell she was hesitant._

_He lifted me up, causing me to shriek, and held me over the edge of the cliff._

_Thalia's eyes widened in shock._

_"Luke no!" She cried._

_"NO!"_

_Annabeth came forward, and stood beside Thalia, her eyes filled with tears._

_"Luke no— don't drop her—"_

_I was breathing heavily, looking down at the cliff, seeing several dracaenae were hissing below._

_It would be a fifty foot drop. I'd be dead if Luke released me._

_"Luke— we can help you!" Annabeth pleaded. "We can take you to Olympus—"_

_"To Olympus?" He snarled, shaking me dangerously, causing me to yelp and squeeze my eyes shut._

_He was actually going to drop me._

_"Luke!"_

_It was Percy's voice._

_"Luke put her down— this is between you and me."_

_"You think everything is about you, Jackson?" Luke hissed, a maniacal glint in his eyes. He looked at me darkly. "What about you, Baby Castellan? Have you reconsidered? You don't have to fall down there... you could join me."_

_He licked his lips._

_"Last year Hermes visited Jackson TWICE and didn't even bother to check on you, did he?" He whispered silkily. "Doesn't that show you how much he cares?"_

_"I will never join you," I said, seeing the way out clear in my head. "Drop me. You won't."_

_"LYDIA NO!" Thalia screamed as Percy and Annabeth inched closer._

_Just as I felt Luke's grip loosen, I swung myself forward, kicking his abdomen and propelling myself back into a roll, sprawling beside my sword and swiping it up just fast enough to stop Luke from slicing my head off._

_"You have gotten much, much better," he said coldly as Percy pulled Annabeth back. Luke and I began to duel again. "Pity you chose the wrong side. I could have made you great. I have a friend who would very much like to meet you. His sword skills are legend, Lydia— he's known as the Reaper of Men!"_

_I sidestepped and jabbed dangerously close to his chest where the other cut I'd made was._

_"I'm not interested in meeting your screwed up friends, Luke," I snarled._

_This seemed to deeply annoy him._

_"Give up," Luke growled, a different type of madness in his eyes. "This doesn't concern you, anymore, Lydia. I could spare you. This prophecy isn't even about you."_

_"It has everything— to do— with me—" I strained as I blocked another strike and ducked under, attempting to tip his balance. I succeeded, but paid the price._

_Luke snarled, and faked a slash that I didn't recover quickly enough from. I was unable to block him as his sword cut across my cheek, causing me to scream and stagger backward as blood poured out._

_My vision went blurry and I croaked, feeling my hand grow damp._

_In the two years we'd encountered each other on opposite sides of the battlefield, he had NEVER left me with a physical wound._

_Never him. Always someone else, as if he was reluctant to cause me any real harm._

_But that had clearly faced._

_Luke looked down at me, breathing heavily. For a minute he looked guilty, but it faded the instant Thalia jumped in, and kicked him off the cliff and out of sight._

When I first got my scar, I had never expected that I was going to do much with my life. I was thinking about how my brother was different now, how he would come to be my greatest enemy. 

I reached my hand up to run over that scar. It was still very obvious, but it felt smoother than it had years ago. Now, it was a spot that Lit loved to kiss.

I had lived. Lost. Grown. Overcome. And here I was, with someone I loved, just relaxing, without another care in the world. 

Years ago, I never would have considered how much of a toll being a demigod would take on my life.

_Minos turned to me as Nico attempted to coax Bianca’s ghost to come speak to him, back when we were in the Labyrinth. "Lydia Castellan. Odd isn't it, for you to be here, instead of with your brother and that lovely boy who just can't seem to forget you?"_

_"Don't speak of them," I hissed._

_"Hurts you, does it?" Minos inquired. "Where DO your loyalties lie, girl? Are you certain you aren't aligned with the boy who raised you and the boy whom you love?"_

_"Love?" I scoffed. "I-I don't love Ethan that way."_

_"Keep telling yourself that," Minos said with a wicked smile. "I can see the madness within you, Lydia Castellan. Your devotion is in question. Was it not you who killed Bianca di Angelo?"_

_I swiped my sword out, the tip an inch away from his throat. "Don't talk to me about committing murder you psycho. I, unlike you, am not a murderer.”_

Was it all fate? Back then, I had been confused, I hadn’t though that love was for me. A demigod’s life didn’t exactly scream ‘love life.’

But hadn’t it all worked out? I had recognized my feelings. I had lost Luke and Ethan. I had gained numerous injuries that left me incapacitated and traumatized.

And what had it led to? A path that took me to healing, to learning, to Lit. Minos had seen madness, had taunted me about love, and both things had come to pass in one.

“Do you think we were meant to be?” I whispered to Lit. “Do you think maybe being a demigod ties us so much to fate that everything sort of comes to pass no matter what?”

“Maybe,” he said. “About the demigod thing. But yes… I think you and I were certainly meant to be. It’s no coincidence that many told you about me. That I met Luke. That our paths collide.”

“It just makes me wonder how everything would have been different if we weren’t demigods.”

“I think that no matter what, I still would have fallen in love with you,” Lit murmured as he leaned down to kiss me.

______ 

In the distance the next day, the Romans were picking up their gear and toting it across the hill. 

On the other side, so I had heard, a fleet of black SUVs waited to transport the legion cross-country back to California. I guessed that would be an interesting road trip. I imagined the entire Twelfth Legion in the drive-through lane at Burger King. I imagined some hapless monster terrorizing a random demigod in Kansas, only to find itself surrounded by several dozen carloads of heavily armoured Romans.

“Ella the harpy is going with them, you know,” Lit told me. “She and Tyson. Even Rachel. They’re going to work together to try to reconstruct the Sibylline Books.”

“Really? Aw, then we’ll get to see them often once we move to California!”

“I heard Nico actually decided to stay here, though,” Lit said with a knowing grin.

“Ah, did he?” I looked back at where Nico and Will were talking at the entrance of the infirmary.

We watched their interaction, only to find Percy and Annabeth had come to us. 

“Hey,” I said, pulling Annabeth into a hug.

“I have some news to share with everyone,” she said giddily. “I think— and I’ve been thinking about it for awhile… Percy and I can work things out so that we can finish our senior year here in New York, then after graduation, go to College in New Rome.”

Percy let out a loud whoop and hugged her. “Annabeth, that’s amazing!” I said excitedly. “I’d probably be doing my residency at Stanford, and Lit’s getting a job there— we could hang out often!”

“That’s the point,” Annabeth giggled as Percy picked her up and spun her around. “I want to be close to my sister!”

Nico then walked up to us.

“Hey!” Percy said happily, ready to share the news. “Guess what? Annabeth and I are going to spend our senior year together!”

“Here in New York,” Annabeth added. “And then—“

“College in New Rome!” Percy pumped his fist like he was blowing a truck horn. “Four years with no monsters to fight, no battles, no stupid prophecies. Just me and Annabeth, getting our degrees, hanging out at cafés, enjoying California—“ 

“And even after that…” Annabeth kissed Percy on the cheek. “Well, Reyna and Frank said we could live in New Rome as long as we like.”

“That’s great,” Nico said, looking at Lit and I as if he wanted us to stay for some sort of announcement. “I’m staying too, here at Camp Half-Blood.”

“That’s awesome, Nico,” I told him as I patted his back. 

“So,” Nico started, “since we’re going to be spending at least a year seeing each other at camp, I think I should clear the air.”

Percy’s smile wavered. “What do you mean?”

Nico looked at Lit and I, nodded, then turned back to Percy. “For a long time,” he said, “I had a crush on you. I just wanted you to know.”

Percy looked at Nico. Then at Annabeth, then at Lit and I, as if to check that he’d heard correctly. Then back at Nico. “You—“

“Yeah,” Nico answered casually. “You’re a great person. But I’m over that. I’m happy for you guys.”

“You…. so you mean—“

“Right.”

Annabeth’s grey eyes started to sparkle. She gave Nico a sideways smile.

“Wait,” Percy said again. “You mean—“

“Right,” Nico repeated. “But it’s cool. We’re cool. I mean, I see now… you’re cute, but you’re not my type.”

Percy looked almost offended. “I’m not your type…. wait— so—“

“See you around, Percy,” Nico said. “Annabeth. And take care in California, Lit and Lydia. I’ll miss you guys.”

I pulled Nico into a quick hug, before Annabeth offered him a high five. He obliged, then winked at us before walking back across the green, to where Will Solace was waiting.

“Those two are going to be so cute together!” I sighed happily as Lit looped his arm around my waist.

“So I’m not his type?” Percy asked frantically, still struggling to understand. 

“Shh, don’t dwell on it, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth said.

“I have a better idea,” I piped up. “Why don’t we visit your mom?”

“Okay— yeah, good idea,” Percy said, still dazed.

Annabeth and I giggled as Lit picked Percy up and carried him to the set of cars we had ready, since Percy didn’t show many signs of life besides talking.

“You’ll have to scan his brain after this,” Annabeth said playfully. “Nico’s confession really did a number on him.”

“You’re telling me!”

Needless to say, we were all beyond happy to see Sally Jackson and Paul Blofis again.

“Percy!” Sally cried, engulfing him in a tight hug the instant she opened the door. The rest of us stepped back respectfully to give them privacy as Sally began to cry, rubbing Percy’s hair and back and just whispering things in his ear. Paul soon joined the hug. 

We didn’t put any pressure on them. It gave us all time to think. I could see Annabeth was smiling, and probably planning what their lives would look like in New Rome. Lit was squeezing my hand and just staring, as if he wanted to photograph the moment.

Meanwhile, I was thinking of my own mother. I should probably visit her after this.

“Come in— come in!” Sally said, urging us inside and sitting us down before bringing several bottles of Gatorade for us. “Wow— it’s so good to see all of you!” She went to hug Annabeth first, lingering before hugging me, then Lit.

We did our best to give her a detailed, but also brief, and also not too gruesome version of what’s happened these past months. She and Paul just listened, worry lines etched on their foreheads.

“Oh,” Sally whispered. “You poor things.”

“Everything is okay now, Mom,” Percy said gently. “We’re safe. Leo will come back at any moment. The Camps are united, and Annabeth and I will be able to live there for college next year.”

“Maybe we could move there with you,” Paul said. “You mentioned it was a safe place, right? We could live nearby and visit.”

“That would be nice,” Annabeth agreed.

Sally let out a sigh and leaned back. “Well… since we’re sharing all this good news…” she smiled and looked around, before taking Paul’s hand. “I’m pregnant.”

“What?” Percy cried, looking giddy. “Mom— that’s amazing!” 

“You’re serious?” Paul asked, his eyes wide. “You’re pregnant?”

“Lydia here can verify if you all don’t believe me,” Sally admitted. “But yes. The baby is due in March.”

Percy whooped and hugged Paul. “I’m going to have a little brother or sister!”

“How wonderful!” Annabeth squealed as she hugged Sally. As soon as they were done, Lit and I moved in to exchange hugs. 

“I’m thinking Paul if it’s a boy,” Sally mused thoughtfully, making Paul’s eyes shine with tears. “Estelle if it’s a girl, like my grandmother.”

“Those are perfect names,” I squealed. “Baby Blofis-Jackson.” 

“They’ll get to be part of all your weddings, I assume,” Sally said. “When both you couples get married, a little one would be a perfect ring bearer.”

At this, Percy and Annabeth blushed, but Lit simply squeezed my hand and grinned. 

It felt right. Percy and Annabeth were soulmates, they’d been meant to be the minute a drooling Percy was brought into the Big House. 

As for Lit and I, it was as though our fates had been intertwined forever ago. It was also meant to be.

It seemed that happiness was all that was surrounding that day. Later in the evening, as we all made our way back to Camp, we found a man and a woman waiting outside the Big House once we’d parked the car.

Percy and Annabeth bade us farewell as they went to their cabins, but Lit and I approached the man.

“Hi dad,” I said to the young looking man in the suit. His hair was smoothed back, his eyes shining blue, his hair one again sandy like Luke’s.

The woman beside him was dressed in an elegant forest green dress, her earrings showing wheat and glowing golden. “Lydia Castellan, nice to see you again,” Demeter said kindly. “Lit, go fetch your sister, please.”

Lit nodded respectfully and left. “I actually think we’re clear for the night,” Hermes said. “Demeter and I waged that Zeus would be busy with other things, and we could all just go to dinner or something.”

“Actually… that would be wonderful,” I breathed.

Never in a million years would I have thought it to be possible for us to so casually meet and enjoy an evening.

Long story short, Lit and my father became official acquaintances. Demeter chided that we all needed to be eating way more cereal.

When we returned to Camp even later, Hermes took my hand, and after a brief shimmer, we appeared outside my mother’s nursing home, just before visiting hours ended.

I didn’t question him as we entered, signed in, and were led to May Castellan’s room.

We found my mother awake, and humming while she played with her stuffed animals.

It didn’t take long for her to notice us, and she offered us a smile. “Hello,” she said slowly. “Who are you?”

“It’s Lydia, mom,” I said as I came to sit beside her. “Your daughter. And this is my dad. Hermes.”

She looked us over before smiling warmly. “That’s right. Lydia, my daughter. And Hermes.”

I was surprised she didn’t forget us for the rest of the night. 

______

Time flew after that. 

My birthday came and went, and Lit of course, baked me a cake. California has been nice, especially since we can pop by and visit Camp Jupiter whenever we get a little lonely.

Lit kept teasing me now that I’d turned 19, insisting I should probably try and get my driver’s license now so I can pop by and visit him at his firm when I’m not busy. Maybe next year.

I had the time of my life. Between working on my thesis, getting to know more regular mortals who have similar aspirations, and visiting my mom, life treated me good.

As of yesterday, June 6, 2011, I officially graduated with honors from Stanford Medical School. 

Leo was there, with Calypso (which of course led Piper to start crying when she saw him). Percy and Annabeth, recently graduated and getting ready to move into New Rome for college, sat with Sally and Paul and newborn Estelle. Travis, Connor, Zoe, and a few of my other siblings came too, though I think I need to be alert for anyone making complaints of thievery, because some of the attendees were dressed expensive, and my brothers can’t help themselves. Even Pollux was there, repping UPenn gear, but still waving a little banner for me.

We had a grand time just pigging out afterward at Camp Jupiter with Reyna, who seems to be getting along really well with Thalia. I think they might be the next Will and Nico, but I’m not sure yet.

It’s saddening to think of what was taken from us. While everything worked out in the end, it’s also been screwed up until this point.

I keep coming back to one question: What if we hadn’t been born demigods? 

Percy used to tease that none of us asked to be demigods in the first place. 

It’s true, though.

How many lives wouldn’t have been lost? What more could have been done to save people like Ethan and Luke, who after all this time, I have not forgotten? 

I hope that from now on, we will have peace. That I will get to marry Lit in a few years and grow old with him, once I’ve retired at the top of my game as a soon to be official neurosurgeon.

I wish, sometimes, that I had been born a mortal. Would my mother still have been tormented by the power of the Oracle? Would Luke be dead? I might have still met Hermes. Would I still be on the path to becoming a surgeon?

I wonder all of this as I sit beside my mother, holding her hand tightly. 

Would my childhood have been different? Would we have had a better relationship? Would she be where she is now?

As she took her final breath, at 9:09pm on June 7, 2011, I let out a soft sigh of my own, and squeezed her hand one last time before laying my head onto her chest. 

I sat there for a while, just facing her body, my eyes closed. Lit was behind me, silent but likely waiting for me to do something. I was thinking, running ideas through my head, wondering what came next. That was one of the last pieces of my childhood, of being a young demigod, and now it was gone. But what did it entail? What underlying motives were behind it?

What did being a demigod really mean?

I thought back to Asclepius. I hadn’t thought about him for so long. Cure others like them. Them...

Soon enough, I sat up straight, my eyes opening. Lit moved behind me, and he offered me his hand to help me up.

What had Meursault said at the end of _The Stranger_? 

“ _For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate_.”

Death was unavoidable. Perhaps, illness was too. But at the beginning of the novel, his mother had been dating people in her retirement home. 

“What are you thinking?” Lit asked gently.

I looked at him, and smiled, thinking of how lucky I was to have him. How the reality of existence meant we’d suffer, but had to seize our own fate and mold it into our happiness. I had found that happiness in Lit, and the only thing I could think of now is how I never ever wanted to forget him.

I gently took his face in my hands and kissed it. “Asclepius was right, Lit,” I breathed, my eyes shining my tears. “I’m going to cure Alzheimer’s. I know exactly what I need to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That, my beautiful readers, concludes The Other Castellan.
> 
> I started this story on May 29, 2019, and it is now officially complete on July 24, 2020. A year’s worth of work (yikes) and lots of dam jokes, but it is complete.
> 
> I definitely struggled with this being my first Percy Jackson fic, but I want to thank you all for your support (especially Jakob because he’s the best coauthor/best friend ever)! Thanks for being the Percy to my Lydia. 
> 
> I’m definitely going to miss writing this story (big sad). Lydia was definitely my favorite character to write, and thanks to all your input, she became a character I REALLY wish was in cannon!!
> 
> Please be on the lookout for my upcoming Harry Potter fic: Blood Traitor || Draco Malfoy. Soon to be released!! 
> 
> Lots of dam love,
> 
> -Sprinting Fox


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